


Bloody Summer

by Iriya



Category: The Patriot (2000)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Minor Violence, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 10:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iriya/pseuds/Iriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl of our time is thrown into the commotion of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and saves a badly wounded Colonel by rescuing him from the battlefield. What happens when he realises that he is in her debt and how does she cope with having travelled in time?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  <b>On hiatus. Correcting grammar and mistakes. Need some input for ideas.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Tricky Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> I've read many fanfictions about "The Patriot" and they seldomly satisfied me. I do not like the girls falling immediately for Col. Tavington (even if he's very handsome, but he's brutal) and him ravaging them. As well I don't like PWP. I like depth in a character and to have them in character, too. I try to do this but I don't want to claim that I'm perfect. 
> 
> The Col. William Tavington in my story is based on the real person Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton. In 1775, when he was 21 years old, he purchased a commission as a cavalry officer in the 1st Dragoon Guards ("Green Dragoons") and sailed with Lord Cornwallis to America where rebellion had broken out triggering the American Revolutionary War. Due to his outstanding ability alone, he worked his way up through the ranks. Until 1779 he had achieved a high reputation, though he was quite young, penniless and only upper middle class. Since the Battle of Waxhaw in 1780 he was hated by the American militia. Tarleton was significantly involved in helping Lord Cornwallis to win the Battle of Camden in the summer of the same year. He was soon criticised by the British for his brutal warmongering. He went back to England in 1781 and was hailed as a hero.
> 
> I'll rougly stick to the historical facts but invent some things on my own or take facts from the film.
> 
> For example, Tavington died in the film at the Battle of Cowpens which was January 17, 1781. I ignore that because the real Tarleton never died in a battle. My story takes place in summer 1781.

She had only wanted to go to bed. It had been quite late because she had enjoyed the television the whole evening. Her parents were eating out and so she had spent the time watching her favourite films. But because she was supposed to leave early for university the next day, she had to abandon her comfortable place on the sofa after some time. She had taken her nightdress and dressing gown and had gone into the bathroom to prepare for bed. Falling into her usual routine, she came to stand in front of her tall mirror in her bedroom after her shower, brushing her hair. In the background she could hear the low noise of the traffic in front of the house. It was a normal evening. She plaited her hair for the night but when she was about to switch off the light, she noticed something strange reflected in her mirror. It faced the shut windows but the curious thing was that it showed the curtains moving. Puzzled, she turned around and checked the windows but they were still closed. The curtains were nonetheless moving in the mirror. Bewildered, she stared at the glass and touched it where she saw the curtains reflected. It was as if she wanted to wipe away whatever was playing this trick on her. Of course, nothing happened and so she knocked lightly against the mirror with her hand, gasped when her fingers suddenly dipped into the glass as if it was water and she tumbled as she felt herself being pulled forward. She didn't know what happened after that because everything turned black around her, pulling her under.

 

As she regained consciousness again, she heard many low voices shouting and now and then muffled other noises. Groaning, she sat up and looked around in confusion. She was in an unfamiliar square room, containing a bed, a rocking chair, an old wardrobe and a tall mirror. Just like the one she owned. She scrambled to her feet and felt her head hurting as soon she was upright. It felt like she had hit it somewhere. She just didn't remember where. She was quite confused because she didn't know her surroundings. What had happened after she fell through the mirror? How could this actually happen?

She went to the mirror and knocked against the glass but it didn't budge. Anxious about what had happened she couldn't think straight until she heard the voices again.

Curiosity peaked, she left the room and entered a corridor. Two doors opened into rooms on the right-hand side but there was only furniture inside. There was not a soul to be seen in the house. She found the front door and stepped on a veranda, now seeing those whom the voices belonged to. It were men in uniforms, men on horses and with long guns. Terrified, her eyes widened like saucers. Where on earth was she? Was there a war going on?

Having grown up sheltered and in a time of peace, she had never been confronted with violence before. There was war in faraway countries, yes, but not in her environment. But as far as it looked like, this wasn't her home country. Perhaps not even her century.

There hadn't been a dishwasher nor a television in the house – not even a radio or anything, no technology at all – and those men on the horses and those with muskets didn't look like as if they knew cars or machine guns.

One thing was clear to her. If there was a war going on then she had to get away. Far away to avoid becoming a victim of it. So she left the veranda and went the opposite direction the men had come from. She ran as fast as she could between the trees that surrounded the house like a grove, darting from tree to tree, so no one could see her, reaching the edge of a huge field. She only realised now that it had been a mistake to come here and that she should have gone the other direction. The men had fled and not as she had wrongly assumed gone into battle. Here the war was raging in all its extent. She saw dead people scattered on the green grass, heard gunfire thundering in the distance, muskets firing and saw soldiers hitting the ground. It was soldiers against civilians. Paralysed by fear she stood there and looked trembling over the field. Which evil time had she entered? Why had it happened to her at all?

Fleeing people rushed past her without noticing her and brought the smell of death with them. Befuddled from the stench, she kept on walking slowly along the edge of the battlefield. A man with a red-white flag and a blue field in the left upper corner ran past her into the woods. Thoughtfully, she looked after him and tried to remember where she knew that flag from. She had seen it some time during history lessons at school.

 _Of course! This was the Flag of the United States_ , she remembered. _I'm in the States. But which time? Wait a minute. How many stars had been on the flag just now? Never fifty._

Her steps and her heartbeat got faster. A part of her brain urged her to run away but the other part insisted on finding more signs which century she was in. She hid behind a tree and watched the ongoing fray in shock. She had never seen so much blood before and heard so many blood-curdling screams.

 _Maybe I really should have run back to the house_ , she thought fearfully.

Every once in a while she saw people fleeing into the woods but she couldn't recognise their uniforms. Even those which seemed to belong to normal farmers. Her gaze fell on the green clad horsemen who fought their way mercilessly through the crowd with their sabers. Many were pulled down from their horses and challenged by their opponents. Now and then canonballs flew across the crowd. To see legs, arms or heads being torn from bodies by their sheer force was horrible, gruesome and blood-curdling. More than once she had to avert her eyes to settle down her stomach. She was trembling all over. No one seemed to mind her. She had met so many already. Were they all too busy with themselves that nobody noticed her?

Fraught, she watched the duel between a soldier and a farmer. The former had been dragged down from his horse, after he had shouted instructions at the other soldiers. The latter seemed to be one of the commanders of the militia. They fought tooth and nail. Saber, pistol and ultimately with a musket wearing a bayonet.

Without thinking why she did something so risky, she ran towards them when the soldier sank seriously wounded to the ground. His attacker looked pleased as he fell and remained unmoving. Then he took the flag he had dropped and ran towards his victory.

He didn't see her reaching the Colonel – as she guessed his rank. She knelt down and look frightened at his body. He was pressing his hand on his profusely bleeding chest, his face contorted with pain, and looked up at her in sheer disbelief. He had probably not expected to see a woman among the whole slaughter. First she looked helplessly at him, but then she rose and scanned the area. To take him away was her only thought. But how could she do it? She couldn't just carry or drag him.

The injured Colonel looked at her, blinded by the white she was wearing and the sun that was behind her. He squinted his eyes because of the light and thought he must be dreaming. Before he lost consciousness he saw her worried face once more.

She had spotted a cart somewhere that had been left behind and had heaved the man onto it. Then she had pulled it and fled as fast as she could back to the house in the grove. Here she had to lift and drag the soldier into the bedroom, wondering the whole time why she was doing this for him. She didn't know him at all. Maybe because he had been the only survivor within the vicinity of thirty feet? Or because he was an officer and might be able to help her?

She had been guided by an invisible hand, treated him with what she could find in the house and managed to stabilise his condition. She hadn't really known how to keep a badly wounded person like him alive but the knowledge from her medical studies helped her. She wondered if it was still the right subject because she had nearly fainted at seeing the dark, warm blood seeping out of his chest and having it later on her hands.

After the Colonel had been tended to she fell right away asleep in the rocking chair next to his bed. She didn't think that he would wake soon. His body was very weak and needed its rest.

 

However, she had been wrong. He woke in the middle of the night, blinking into the darkness. First, he noticed that he was lying in a bed, covered by a duvet. This couldn't be death. He had imagined it completely different. A sharp tug in his chest reminded him that he was definitely alive. The pain was bearable, though. He had to abandon his intent on getting up when the pain became too much, as much as he hated feeling helpless.

After his eyes had adjusted to the half-light that was caused by the night and coming through the window above the bed, he let his gaze wander through the dim room and saw the moonlight falling on a figure in the rocking chair beside him. Carefully, he sat up and eyed her. She was asleep and had curled up in a white dressing gown because it was cool in the room, and so only her toes and head were visible.

He listened for noises outside but there was only the hoot of an owl to be heard. He wondered where he was and who this girl was. Did she live here?

For a while he watched her sleeping form, then he cleared his throat and she jerked awake, her eyes widening in fright. When she realised that he was awake as well, she jumped out of her chair and left the room. Actually, he hadn't wanted to scare her. Even if it was normal that people fled at seeing him. He had just wanted to ask her for some water. The moment he had managed to get his feet out of bed – although he had felt a stabbing pain – the door opened and the girl was back with a glass of water for him. She must have read his thoughts.

"Lie down," she ordered gently and pushed him back against the pillow. "You're badly wounded."

Then she knelt down and pushed her hand under his head to raise it up.

"Here, drink. I bet you're thirsty," she said and gave him the vessel.

Surprised about what was happening to him, the harsh words he had wanted to hurl at her for treating him like a snivelling child got stuck in his throat. He just nodded, took the drinking glass and savoured the first gulp of the cool water. His throat felt as if it was filled with sand – very dry and itchy. He drank up and handed back the vessel.

"Would you like some more?" she asked.

He shook his head and she put the glass on the window sill because there was no bedside table. Then she lowered his head softly back on the pillow and moved her hands to reach for the duvet which had fallen to his waist after trying to get up. Suddenly she felt him grab her wrist roughly and pull her away from him. Startled, she looked at him.

"Sorry, I just wanted to pull up the covers," she soothed him when she felt his stern gaze on her. "Your wound is healing. You shouldn't move, otherwise it will open up again."

His narrowed eyes relaxed and his fingers let go of her wrist. With a smile she tucked him in and went back to the rocking chair. Soon he had fallen asleep again from exhaustion without even asking her who she was and where he was. She fell back into her dreams, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. The story is quite old. I think I started it around 2004 when I was still a big fan of Jason Isaacs (still a fan but not... well, you know what I mean) and my English wasn't good at that time either so I had quite some work reading it over and over again to catch all the mistakes. If you still find any, please let me know.
> 
> I'm always happy to get any feedback but please be kind.


	2. Strange Origin

She was awake before him at the break of dawn, standing in front of the tall mirror and touching the smooth cold surface with both hands, staring into it. Sighing, she rested her forehead against the glass. It didn’t budge. Angry, she looked at it and turned around just to find the Colonel awake, staring at her as if she was insane. But maybe he was only staring because she was standing in her red nightdress before him.

            “Good morning,” she said, calmly donning her white dressing gown that looked grey from the dust she had exposed it to. “How are you feeling today?”

            “Better,” he mumbled. “Tell me, what’s your name and do you live here? I haven’t heard any other voices in the house,“ he said.

            “My name is Liliana, and this is not my home. This house stands in a grove and is not far away from the battlefield where you have been fighting yesterday. That’s why we’re here. Well, what’s your name?”

            “I’m Colonel William Tavington, leader of the Green Dragoons and under the command of General Cornwallis,” he said in a tone of voice as if she was supposed to have heard of him.

Liliana looked at him unimpressed. She just raised an eyebrow.

            “I’ve already suspected that you’re high in rank. Your uniform indicates it,” she said. “Are you American or British?”

            “British, of course! I do not like your tone. If you’ve already suspected that I’m an officer, then I expect some respect. Where are you from if that’s not your home? And why are we here and not in a camp of the British Army where they could tend to my wound?”

The young woman put her arms akimbo. Who did he think he was? She had saved his life. He would be dead by now without her help.

            “First of all, if you believe me or not, I’m from New Zealand,” she said, smiling as she saw his puzzled gaze. “Secondly, I’ve no idea where we are. The house was empty and I thought it much more inviting to spend a night here than to cart a half-dead man like you to a camp somewhere out in the sticks, not even knowing where I could find it. And thirdly, you would’ve died by now without me before we could have reached _any_ camp at all.”

Colonel Tavington stared at her grimly. He didn’t like the way she was talking to him at all. Moreover, she was telling him lies in his opinion. Especially that she claimed to be from New Zealand. To his knowledge the island wasn’t even settled because James Cook just landed on it in 1769. Concerning the camp, she might be right, but to crown it all, a woman had tended to his wound. Let alone that he actually owed his life to her. The last thing he could remember from the battlefield was believing that this was finally the end for him. The bayonet had pierced his flesh deeply after all. But he remembered a person looking down at him. He came to the conclusion that it must have been really this girl who had saved him. However, all rescue aside he only believed the half she was telling him.

            “You’re a liar. How can a cheeky little miss like you know about New Zealand?” he asked disparagingly, raising an eyebrow.

            “You don’t have to believe me. Just like the rest of my story. Even you, who thinks to be educated, could never imagine a time travel,” she grumbled.

            “A what?” he asked and then burst into laughter. “What nonsense! You might have hit your head somewhere. Don’t tell me lies. You better go and get me some water.“

Crestfallen, Liliana took the glass from the window sill and left the room with a sad face. His snigger followed her into the kitchen where she used the water pump to fill the vessel with cold water.

            “Why do I even bother explaining it to him? He’s from a whole different century. Blimey, we’ve no food at all and I bet there’s no supermarket around the corner,” she huffed irritably. “What am I gonna do now? My friends at uni will already wonder where I am. Who knows how long I’m going to be stuck here and then I can really drop the term.“

She kicked angrily against the kitchen cupboard, then grabbed the filled glass and turned around, nearly crashing into the Colonel whom she hadn’t heard approaching in the slightest. Startled, she put the vessel down on the table before she dropped it.

            “Don’t scare me like that!” she snapped. “Didn’t I say you should stay in bed?”

            “Very sweet of you, missy, but I know my condition and will decide how much I can expect of myself,” he sneered and looked at her disdainfully. “So, what did you say just now?”

            “Pardon?” she asked.

            “What’s a supermarket?” he reminded her.

            “You eavesdropped?”

            “Well, I couldn’t fail to hear it. I think it was even loud enough for the rabbits in the woods,” he said amused.

As strange as it was – except for the lies – he started to like the girl. She was indignant, insubordinate, then again shy and abashed. He had never met someone like her. Maybe her story was true, as weird as it sounded. Maybe she really was from New Zealand. But perhaps she was just a confused stupid girl who had seen too much of the war.

She looked quite angry, but then leant against the kitchen worktop, resignedly.

            “Well, the place where I come from, no... the time where I come from, that’s the 21st century, and there are supermarkets. It’s a self-service store that offers a wide variety of food and household equipment. I think the first was developed in the 19th century.”

She hadn’t looked at him as she explained it but when she did, she met his reaction of bafflement, disbelief, slight annoyance and amusement.

            “Do you take me for a fool, girl?” he asked.

            “Certainly not, and by the way, I’m already a woman,” she said and pushed the glass into his hand. “We better stop talking about it. As you can see, you won’t believe me. So, please go back to bed. You need rest. I still wonder how you could manage to get up while feeling this pain.“

With that she pushed past him and left the kitchen to go on the veranda. The Colonel followed her after a while instead of heading for the bedroom and found Liliana sitting on the swing that hung from the roof. She was slightly moving back and forth, her head lowered. She didn’t look up when he approached. He could do whatever he wanted. Why did she help him at all when he was thanking her for it like that? The best would be if she could make the mirror bring her back home.

            “Are you always wearing a nightdress and a dressing gown during the day?” he scoffed.

            “As I told you, I’m not from here. Yesterday I woke up in this house, meaning I fell through the mirror, and I have nothing, absolutely nothing to get changed,” she replied without looking at him. “The wardrobes in the house are empty.”

That explained him why she had been touching the mirror glass.

            “Fallen through a mirror?” he asked. “You’re speaking of very strange things. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your head?”

Irritated but then again helplessly she looked at him.

            “I wouldn’t believe it myself if it hadn’t happened to me,” she said quietly.

            “If you aren’t from here and don’t know anything about this country, why have you been on the battlefield, then?” he asked, pausing beside her.

            “Don’t know. I was curious?”

            “You realise that it’s very dangerous for a woman in war?”

            “Yes, thank you very much,” she said ironically. “Without me you would’ve bled to death on said field.”

            “Which reminds me, where are my weapons?” he remembered suddenly.

            “Underneath your bed,” she replied. “You can go and check on them.”

William Tavington seemed to have waited for this answer, then turned around and entered the house.

            “No, you do _not_ need to thank me,” Liliana grumbled, drumming her fingers on her thigh. “What a haughty guy.”

The Colonel didn’t come back out as she realised after a while, and so she went inside to look where he was. She found him resting in the bedroom. He had fetched his weapons which were now hanging over the bedpost. Liliana noticed that he probably must have overstrained himself by getting up and walking around. Quietly, she took off his boots and tucked him in.

            “Men,” she mumbled. “Whichever the century, they are all the same. Always want to appear strong.”

As she left she didn’t know that the Colonel had opened his eyes and was grinning.

 

~*~

Dusk drew near quickly and neither Liliana nor Tavington had eaten anything until then. The latter woke to hunger and staggered through the empty house, looking for the girl. He didn’t find her in any of the rooms and light was fading outside, causing him to wonder if she might have run away. But when he stepped on the veranda, looking for her, she appeared on the path in front of the house. She was carrying a basket and looked up at him unhappily.

            “We have absolutely no food in the house and there are only berries in the forest,“ she said. “And the rabbits are far too quick for me, let alone that I could cook them.”

The Colonel looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

            “Berries won’t keep us satisfied. Besides, I have to go back to Middleton Place,” he said.

            “But you are still not well enough for travel. We don’t even have a horse you could ride. Wherever this place is, you can’t walk the whole distance.”

            “I already told you that I know how much I can bear,” he said coolly.

            “Really?” she said irritably. “It was me after all who patched you up. You could have thanked me or did you want to die? I should have probably just left you there.”

With that she left him and went straight into the kitchen where she began to wash the berries. Quite dumbfounded about how she had talked to him, he stared after her. He would have liked to slap her for her cheeky behaviour she was showing him since they met but he felt too weak to start a fight with a girl when he was stuck with her for now.

Meanwhile, Liliana was picking at the berries, letting her gaze wander through the room lost in thought. No, they couldn’t survive the next days only eating berries, and if the Colonel left for Middleton Place (wherever that was), she would be on her own without a clue how to get along. She had to coax him into taking her with him. If she was lucky he agreed and she could meet other people. Maybe then she was able to find out more about her surroundings.

While her eyes scanned the floor she discovered a hatch that was barely visible. Curious she bent down and tried to open it but she failed. There was no handle to pull it up either. She took a knife from the kitchen worktop and could finally lift the hatch. A cloud of dust rose as she opened the door and she could not stop a sneeze before she looked down. It was impossible to see much as the whole chamber beneath was hidden in darkness.

            “I need a candle or a lamp,” she mumbled to herself and went in search for those.

In the living room she found an oil lamp and realised that she had no idea how to light it. Without further ado she went to fetch William Tavington who was still standing on the veranda. She found him leaning against a pillar that supported the roof, his eyes fixed somewhere in the darkness of the woods. He was deeply lost in thoughts. His light blue eyes looked darker and for a moment she stared at him mesmerised.

            “Mr Tavington?” she addressed him and he turned around quickly.

He didn’t seem to like how she said his name but then his gaze fell on the lamp before he could reprimand her and he waited for her to continue.

            “I think I found a hidden larder underneath the kitchen but I’m not sure because the room is so dark,” she said. “Would you please help me light the lamp so I can check the basement?”

            “Do you not know how to light a simple oil lamp?”

            “No. I grew up with different kinds of lamps.”

_Actually, I’m looking for matches... if they’ve been invented already._

He rolled his eyes as she reminded him again that she wasn’t from here – let alone from his time – and then went into the house. He showed Liliana how to light the lamp with a tinderbox which she watched in amazement, and then she slowly climbed down the ladder while he waited upstairs.

He watched the light going lower and lower and when he expected her to tell him which food was stored down there, he heard her scream.

            “What’s the matter?” he called, startled.

            “I found... two dead people,” came the broken answer.

Liliana had been shocked terribly as the light of the lamp fell on two dead people on the ground of the basement. She wondered why they were lying here. The sight was frightening and they had to be lying here for roughly three days. Covered in blood. At least they didn’t smell too strong because it was cold down here.

            “What?” Tavington exclaimed. “Wait, I’ll come down.“

            “No, stay where you are. Your wound could open up if you climb down,” she replied and he remained where he was.

            “We have to get the dead out otherwise they will taint the food,” he said.

            “You’re right but I do not dare touch them. And I’m sure they’re heavy,” she said.

            “It would be better if I came down.”

            “Please stay upstairs,” Liliana said and sighed. “I’ll manage somehow. You just need to relieve me of them.”

Together they dragged them upstairs. Overcome by nausea, Liliana ran outside and bent over the banister of the veranda to retch. However, nothing came up as she hadn’t eaten anything the whole day. She felt very weak but the fresh air helped her to clear her head again. She hadn’t wanted for Tavington to overexert himself but he dragged the dead wordlessly into the woods. When he came back he paused beside her. For a moment he just stood there, saying nothing at all as if he was pondering whether he should talk to her.

            “Are you feeling better?” he asked finally.

            “A bit. Thanks,” she said, surprised that he had asked her at all. “What did happen to them?”

            “They must have been mugged by Americans,” he said and his eyes took on a menacing expression.

            “We don’t know that for sure,” she said.

The Colonel didn’t respond. He was sure that those people had been attacked by their fellow countrymen to gather treasures in war.

            “Don’t you think we should bury them?” Liliana asked after a while.

He gave her a look that told her that he didn’t care what happened to the dead people.

            “We can’t just leave them in the wild,” she said indignantly. “You wouldn’t appreciate it either if you weren’t at least buried, would you?”

            “When I’m dead I can’t decide that anymore.”

Irritated, Liliana breathed through her teeth. Some opinions he had were incomprehensible for her.

            “If it really has to be done, then we can do it tomorrow, but only if we find a spade. Now, it’s about time that you go check the basement for food,” he suggested.

            “Um, alright,” she said resignedly.

She shuffled towards the house and he followed her deliberately. Halfway to the door she looked over her shoulder at him.

            “How’s your wound? Does it hurt?”

            “Not worth mentioning,” he said.

They entered the house and went to the kitchen where Liliana paused in front of the ladder that led downstairs. Though the dead were gone, she had goosebumps from head to toe.

            “Well?” Tavington said.

She looked at him indecisively. He handed her the lamp and made an encouraging movement with his head. She went down and found some food which was going to last for only a couple of days.

 

~*~

            “I have to go back to Middleton Place and report to Lord Cornwallis,” Tavington said when they were eating dinner at a small table in the living room.

            “When?” Liliana asked.

            “As soon as my wound has healed,” he said, studying her face for a reaction.

            “May I accompany you?” she asked hopefully.

Surprised and thoughtfully he looked at her, saying nothing for a while. She was waiting uneasily for an answer. Then she felt his ice-blue eyes on her. They were filled with amusement.

            “Why do you want to come with me?” he asked. “There are only maids. No other women you could spend your time with.”

            “I don’t care,” she replied. “I don’t want to be left behind. Who knows what will happen around here, and there’s not much food left.”

Tavington raised an eyebrow and his lips became a thin line. How odd would it look if he arrived back at Middleton Place with this strange girl? What was he supposed to tell the General about her? She was still insisting on her strange story and aside from that he was indebted to her because she had saved his life. His honour as a gentleman forbid him to live with this debt without clearing it.

            “Well, tell me again where you’re from,” he said and Liliana told him again what she had experienced and that she didn’t have a clue why she was here.

            “You came through the mirror in the bedroom?” he asked doubtfully.

            “Yes, it’s strange, isn’t it? It’s not even imaginable let alone possible in my time.”

She sighed and rested her head in her hand. He leant back, knitting his brows. This was the most curious story he had ever been told, but even if it was so hard to believe, the girl seemed to be honestly upset about it.

            “Well, it wouldn’t be nice to leave a young woman alone in this house,” Tavington said after he had come to the decision that she wasn’t lying.

            “Oh, really? Thank you!” she exclaimed. “I promise I won’t be a burden to you.”

            “We’ll see,” the young Colonel said, giving her a rare honest smile that made Liliana’s heart beat faster.


	3. Middleton Place

They stayed for two more days and Liliana insisted on sleeping on the sofa in the living room. She wanted Tavington to recover completely by using the comfortable bed and she knew he didn’t need her anymore at his side during the night.

The morning they set off, they left the house the way they had found it. The young woman left the mirror reluctantly behind because she believed it was the only passageway to get back home, but she had come to the conclusion that it didn’t matter anymore how much time she had missed at university. She was only worried about her parents. They must have already reported her missing. What was she supposed to tell them when she got back? _If_ she ever did.

She and Tavington buried the dead they had left in the woods during the night and set out.

 

With only little provisions for the road wrapped in a tea towel, they slowly walked through the grove. The midday sun was shining brightly when they reached a small town. From afar they could see burned British flags hanging visibly at the windows of the houses, and young armed men were checking all those who wanted to enter the city.

            “We shouldn’t go any further,” Liliana said alarmed. “They look as if they’re on bad terms with the British and you are still wearing your uniform. It’d be best if we don’t attract any attention.”

She looked up at the Colonel, who was looking grimly. He wanted to show those colonials who was going to be in charge when the British had won the war, but concerning that he was without the Dragoons he knew that a confrontation was going to end quite bad for him. Tavington bristled with anger and his hand jerked to his pistol but then he turned away and followed Liliana along a path that circled the town. The young woman was quite relieved to see him holding back his temper. It could have turned out bad.

They were walking all day and when it dawned, they found shelter from the starting rain in a barn.

            “There are horses,” Tavington said, walking over to a black stallion in a box.

            “Are you going to steal one?” Liliana asked.

A glance at his face told her that he was intending to do so and she was outraged.

            “I don’t think anyone’s going to notice,” he said calmly and not even bothered by her mood.

He was used to getting what he wanted.

            “I don’t think it’s right. We could take a horse but we should bring it back later,” she said, pausing beside him. “You’re a respectable gentleman, aren’t you?”

Now she was looking at him amused. It was clear that she was trying to hint at his conscience which he barely had anymore. Tavingtion watched her turn to a ladder that led to an attic where hay was stored. Without hesitation she climbed upstairs. He got the feeling that she wasn’t in the slightest worried that he might leave her behind. Maybe she even suspected him to toy with the idea of just taking the horse and leaving her behind. But he had promised her to take her with him and his word was still that of a gentleman as she had nicely reminded him of. He stroked the magnificent horse’s back and was looking around for a saddle when Liliana’s face appeared from the hayloft, looking down at him.

            “You coming? There’s enough room. It would be a nice place to stay,” she said. “It won’t be as comfortable as a bed but it smells good.”

He looked up and wondered why she wasn’t ashamed or bothered by sleeping so unorthodoxly close to a strange man. Maybe she was but he couldn’t detect it on her face. He thought of their journey and remembered what she had told him about her. He believed her story a little more – because it explained some of her strange mannerisms – and he explained her carefreeness with the nonchalance that obviously existed between men and women in her time. He had to admit that earlier he had found her vibrant, rude and indiscreet behaviour disagreeable because he was used to women who behaved decent, quiet and polite. Others who didn’t were either harlots or wenches. Liliana was none of them and he thought her more educated than the women he knew.

He reluctantly admitted that he had got used to her quite quickly. She was good company. At least at the moment. That’s why he dismissed the thought of abandoning her and climbed the ladder.

When he reached the hayloft he looked around and found the young woman sitting in the hay, opening the tea towel. She looked up when she noticed that he was there and smiled at him as if it was the most natural thing on earth that he had decided in favour of someone else. Liliana’s face darkened when she looked at the food in her lap. He approached her slowly. The hay was rustling underneath his boots.

            “There’s not much left. It’ll be barely enough for dinner let alone breakfast tomorrow,” she said bleakly.

            “I don’t need much,” he said and sat down next to her but kept a polite distance.

            “No, _I_ don’t. I can be quite a glutton,” she said and handed him a slice of bread.

A grin tugged at his lips as she said that and he took the bread. Silently, they were having their meagre dinner and soon after that Liliana laid back in the hay and curled up.

Tavington didn’t stay awake for long. What was he supposed to do now that he had decided to take her along? She would never manage alone. It was strange that he was pondering over that. It was long ago that he had taken some sort of responsibility for someone. He guessed that life would get back to its daily order as soon as they had arrived at the Middleton Place plantation. Then he was going to become occupied with other things and other people could care for Liliana.

His eyes fell on her and watched her sleeping peacefully. She was so relaxed in his presence although they didn’t really know each other. Maybe it was good that she didn’t know who he was and what he was capable of. Eventually, he laid down and fell asleep quite fast on this unusual bed.

~*~

The next morning he was the first to wake up and he squinted against the sunlight that fell through a skylight. Liliana, who had moved closer to him during the night, was still asleep and so he waited. While he listened into the quietness he heard the snorting of the horses and the singing of the birds. His eyes travelled over the hay, the roof and then Liliana. Her right hand was lying next to his shoulder, slightly twitching in her sleep. His eyes roamed over her delicate fingers and he wondered whether she would wake when he touched her. He wasn’t really keen on waking her already. She was going to chatter anyway. The girl was looking so peaceful in her sleep that he found it relaxing to watch her. He lifted his hand and pushed some dark strands off her cheek. Liliana didn’t move. His hand hovered over her face for a moment and then traced the outline of her cheekbones without touching. She only woke when he rose. Startled, because he had got up and was walking to the ladder, she sat up and looked at him still drowsy from sleep. Amused at seeing her tousled hair, he gave her a reassuring look.

            “Good morning. I’ll be right back,” he said and disappeared downstairs.

It was a dulcet tone of voice he hadn’t used in years. But Liliana wouldn’t notice as she didn’t know him at all. Sighing and yawning, the young woman fell back into the hay. She surprised the Colonel by believing his words and he realised again that it could be only because she was used to trust people. He could have lied to her and left but something urged him to abandon this idea again. He didn’t want to acknowledge to himself that he didn’t want to disappoint her.

She must have fallen asleep again because breakfast was ready when she woke up. It wasn’t much but she knew they were going to reach Middleton Place today and she hoped that she would get something to eat there. They were silently eating their breakfast and then climbed down the ladder to get one of the horses. Tavington chose the stallion he had taken a liking to yesterday and helped Liliana to get on its back. Then he sat in front of her and spurred the horse.

Soon they came onto a road where they passed carriages and people were shrinking from them as they recognised Tavington’s uniform. They wondered who the girl was that was clinging to him desperately. Liliana was very much afraid of falling down as she had never sat on a horse before. She had her arms around his waist and was somehow tempted to lean forward to catch the smell of Tavington’s hair. However, the stink of his jacket stopped her.

            “May I take a bath as soon as we have arrived? I feel very dirty after all those days in the same clothes and I think your uniform needs to be washed too,” she said rather matter-of-factly as if she was talking to a family member or a friend.

The Colonel said nothing but she knew that he had heard her.

 ~*~

They were two hours on their way and Liliana had dozed off due to the rocking movement of the horse. She was threatening to fall down, so Tavington woke her.

            “We’ve arrived,” he said and she was immediately wide-awake.

In front of them was a high fence that surrounded a beautiful garden with a huge brown brick house with dark window shutters. Soldiers were guarding the front gate and looking at them curiously. They recognised the Colonel and one of the guards hurried to the house to report the General that Tavington had returned. Curious glances fell on Liliana when they entered the plantation. Tavington moved the horse along a wide path to the stables and helped her dismount. The looks which were directed at him didn’t escape him as well. He glowered at the grooms and gestured for the young woman to come with him. She followed like a timid fawn and stuck to his heels when they entered the main building. They climbed a wide staircase and went to the conference room of the General on the first floor.

            “Wait here,” Tavington said and then knocked.

Liliana had wanted to accompany him because she felt quite vulnerable alone in the corridor where everyone who would come past her was going to stare at her. But she said nothing, only nodded. She didn’t want to appear to him like a child who clung to her mother’s apron strings. She leaned against the wall and waited. Maids, soldiers and officers moved past her, glancing curiously at her. Liliana looked down her attire and didn’t ask why they all stared at her. Her dressing gown was dirty and she was still barefoot. Her feet felt like lumps of ice and she shivered. No one said anything to her until a man approached, clad in an important looking uniform which rank she didn’t recognise, pausing in front of her. He eyed her before clearing his throat and speaking to her.

            “Hey, lass, why are you loafing about here?” he asked harshly.

First Liliana jerked, but then she raised an eyebrow and returned his gaze.

            “I’m not loafing about, I’m waiting,” she replied, knitting her brows.

            “For whom? There’s nobody behind that door you could be waiting for. Are you one of the new maids?”

            “I’m not, and I’m waiting for Colonel Tavington,” she said decidedly.

Couldn’t he just go away and stop asking her? She put her arms akimbo and challenged the look of the man.

            “Tavington?” he asked surprised as if he hadn’t expected to hear that he was still alive. “But there was news that he was killed.”

            “Well, he wasn’t. I’d like you to finally tell me your name,” Liliana said.

Surprised at her choice of words he stared at her.

            “Major General Charles O’Hara is my name and what is yours and why are you waiting for the Colonel who has come to the unbelievable decision to _grace_ us with his presence again?” he said sarcastically.

The young woman looked at him sceptically. This Major obviously didn’t seem to like Tavington much.

            “My name’s Liliana, and I’ve saved the Colonel’s life.”

The Major stared at her for a moment and then broke out into laughter. She couldn’t tell whether he was laughing because a girl had saved the Colonel’s life or because he didn’t believe her. Probably both. She scowled at him and puffed herself up but before she could erupt like a volcano, someone put a hand on her shoulder gently. Startled, she looked up and met the warm eyes of an elderly man with an ample belly and a white wig on his head.

            “O’Hara, why in God’s name are you laughing so loud?” he shouted at him.

Immediately, the Major fell silent and bowed politely, standing to attention. Liliana spotted Tavington standing beside the man, smiling gleefully at O’Hara. Realisation sunk in as she became aware that this must be General Cornwallis.

            “My apologies, General,” O’Hara said. “But this little wench –”

Then his gaze fell on Tavington and he paused briefly.

            “Colonel Tavington! You’re alive. It must be true, then. Did this little one really have to save your neck?” he asked snarkily.

            “I didn’t _have_ to do anything,” Liliana huffed.

            “Now, now, young lady, don’t get upset. The Major doesn’t know the whole story yet, but I want to thank you for your courage. You saved one of my most important men,” the General said and now she turned around to face him.

Cornwallis was of medium-sized build, slightly plump and with a friendly face. He looked to be in his mid-forties. She didn’t know what to say to him and smiled shyly at the ground. O’Hara looked arrogantly down at her and Tavington gave him a disapproving glance.

            “You must be exhausted from the journey. I’ll let someone prepare a room for you. It would be an honour to dine with you later. You as well, Tavington,” Cornwallis said. “Then you can tell me the whole story yourself, little miss.”

            “It would be an honour for us, General,” the Colonel replied.

            “Thank you very much,” Liliana finally said and withdrew from the hand that was still lying on her shoulder to approach Tavington.

Cornwallis looked as if his smile was soon going to paralyse his facial muscles before he walked through a closed door into his private chambers to ring a bell. Soon two girls clad in russet coloured dresses, white aprons and white mob caps came rushing to them.

            “Please prepare a room for the young lady. She is going to be our guest for a while,” he told the maids who nodded and left to do their task.

Tavington turned around and headed to his room he had occupied temporarily and Liliana simply followed him as she didn’t know where else to go. He hoped for a hot bath to get rid of the dirt. Liliana instantly liked his quarters when they entered, ignoring the glances she got for doing so. They were tidy, clean, simple but not spartan. The windows opened to the west and Liliana had a nice view upon the stables and the beautiful garden. She paused and was lost in her thoughts while she waited. She didn’t want a room for herself but she couldn’t ask Tavington to share his quarters with her. They were neither lovers nor real friends, nor was it proper in this century to share a room with a man she had no relationship with. But she already knew that she was going to feel alone in her own room. There she was going to have too much time for thinking about how she should go back home.

Liliana didn’t notice Tavington stepping beside her and looking down at her. He wondered why her face had become so expressionless. She looked as if she was elsewhere but here. He nudged her shoulder and she flinched. She gave him a questioning look, meeting his blue eyes who returned her gaze. A shiver ran down Liliana’s spine. Her lips became a thin line and she waited for him to say something. But instead of his mouth, his eyes were communicating with her. She shook her head at his silent question and she jerked when someone suddenly knocked at the door. Tavington turned his head and for a moment it seemed to her as if he was reluctant to open it. But this assumption lingered in the air only for a second, then he went to the door and allowed a maid inside.

            “Sir, the room for the young lady has been prepared. We decided to get some new clothes as well,” she said after curtsying politely.

Liliana looked from the girl to the Colonel. New clothes sounded good but which fashion would it be? Noble or rural? She would rather hit the maids with a corset instead of wearing it.

~*~

In the end, after she had left the room rather grudgingly and followed the maid, she was allowed to take a hot bath. She was practically pampered by having her hair washed and dressed, and then laced into a lavender gown which wasn’t elaborately embroidered. She had rejected all others which had been too pompous and wide because she didn’t want to attract attention. This gown fell to her ankles and had long sleeves with frills at the seams. However, she hadn’t been able to escape a corset, although it wasn’t as tight as she had feared. The bra she had still been wearing had been admired and then taken to the laundry with her other clothes after she had asked the maids to be careful with it. She was going to need it later as soon as she could change the gown and get out of the corset. She was ashamed of her lifted bosom – even if it was fashion now – and she wondered how she was going to be able to sit and eat. It squeezed her at every movement.

Liliana looked thoughfully at her reflection in the mirror. Now she looked like a girl of this era. She was soon to be expected at dinner with General Cornwallis. She twirled a lock of her raven hair that had come loose from her chignon. She didn’t even know how to do cultivated conversation. Liliana already feared that she was going to stick out with her choice of words. She hoped that the General wouldn’t mind and maybe it would help to emphasise that she was really not from here.

Somehow she had expected Tavington at the door when someone knocked but it was just another maid who entered to tell her that dinner was ready. The servant who had dressed her hair – Heather – and the one who had helped her putting on the gown – Eleonor – looked at the other girl, who introduced herself as Rosalie, and told her that Liliana was ready as well.

Slightly nervous she followed Rosalie to the dining room. There was a table that was big enough for at least twelve people. It was generously set with expensive looking china, and a delicious smell of chicken escaped the plates.

Cornwallis and Tavington were already present and they turned around when she entered. They smiled at her politely and Liliana didn’t know why her heart was suddenly beating faster. She felt quite hot. Was it because two gentlemen were paying her attention? She stepped tentatively closer. Her gown seemed to be even tighter now. Tavington offered her a chair and she was still too nervous to say something. He looked so different now. He must have done something with his frizzy hair. It was now smooth and clean and stiffly tied back in a tail with a black ribbon. Moreover, he was wearing a clean uniform. He must have taken a bath as well to get rid of the dirt from the last days. He gave her another brief smile when he sat opposite of her.

Liliana barely said a word during dinner which was really delicious. She answered Cornwallis' questions, explained herself being stranded here before saving Tavington and then remained silent. She didn’t know what had left her speechless. Maybe it was the unexpected kindness she was receiving, the delicious food, the tight gown, or the way Tavington looked at her every now and then. She looked at him bashfully but then tried to avoid eye contact because it felt like being suffocated. She didn’t understand what was up with her.

As soon as Cornwallis had been enlightened about the circumstances – whether he believed them was another question – and Liliana had gone back to her room, she stood in front of her wall mirror lost in thought, wondering why she had been so tight-lipped. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and took a deep breath. Maybe she was just tired. All these impressions of the last days might have taken a toll on her.

Eleonor came and helped her to take off the gown. Then she put on the new nightdress that was lying on her bed and said goodnight to the maid. Although she was used to sleeping alone, the loneliness was oppressive tonight.

 

The sun was setting and she was alone with her thoughts. It should have comforted her to have a room of her own just like at home but somehow she couldn’t find rest. Something was missing. More precisely, someone. She had got used to sleeping in company, even if it had been just for a couple of days. Maybe because she had felt safe? She didn’t know and the feeling didn’t pass.


	4. Attachment

 

Night fell and the house became silent. Liliana still couldn’t sleep. She was troubled by nightmares and woke every hour. When she couldn’t bear it any longer she made a decision even if this one was going to cause her trouble. She took her pillow, put on her dressing gown and left her room. No one was in the corridors. It was so late that even the servants had already gone to bed. Liliana walked around quietly. It was cool and she shivered slightly. She felt like a jumpy child that sneaked through the parental home at night.

After a while she got the dim feeling that she had got lost but then she found the corridor she had been looking for. Why must it be so far away? Everything looked the same in the dark.

With her heart beating fast, she put her hand on the handle of the door she had been looking for and opened it quietly. She was glad that it made no sound because she didn’t want to get caught. It was nearly pitch-black in the room when she entered. The curtains were drawn and it smelled faintly of a blown candle. Liliana could only make out the outlines of the bed and the desk standing in the room. She closed the door silently. Her heart was still pounding in her throat because she feared to get caught. But because she had been so quiet, no one had woken. She approached the bed carefully and a smile graced her face when she found the young man sleeping soundly. Maybe he was going to strangle her tomorrow when he noticed her in his quarters but it didn’t matter to her. Whatever had come over her to go to him, she wasn’t going to leave now.

She turned to the ottoman that was standing against the wall and realised displeased that she couldn’t find any blanket to cover herself.

_Well, the sofas here don’t seem to be used for resting_ , she thought.

Sighing, she went quietly over to the bed.

            “I’m truly sorry,” she whispered, before lifting the duvet carefully. “I really wanted to sleep on the sofa and I hope you don’t take this personally when I do this. I’m feeling foolish myself.”

Slowly, she shifted her weight onto the mattress until she was lying at the far end of the bed.

_Luckily the bed is big enough_ , she thought. _We can at least keep a safe distance._ _Oh well, he’s going to rage tomorrow. Whatever._ _Maybe I can finally find sleep now._

She snuggled into her own pillow, curled up in a foetal position and fell asleep within minutes.

 

~*~

It had been pleasant to sleep again in his own bed, William Tavington thought when his consciousness woke from sleep. He could faintly hear the feet of the servants, the snoring of the horses from outside and little birds chirping on his window sill. He stretched languidly and unexpectedly bumped against something warm. Still drowsy from sleep, he opened his eyes and held his breath when he found a raven head just inches away from his face. He hadn’t thought that the girl would be with him this morning. They were now at Middleton Place and had their own rooms, so why was she here? He hadn’t expected her and she wasn’t supposed to be here either as it wasn’t proper.

He noticed small details as his mind became more aware of his surroundings. His leg bumped against hers, her right hand rested against his chest, her fragrant hair tickled his cheek, her warm breath caressed his neck and to crown it all he got goosebumps. Not once had she lain so close to him, neither in the cottage nor in the barn. He wanted to leap to his feet and throw her out of his bed when the fingers of her hand stretched, gently brushing his skin that was visible at the top of his shirt. All his blood rushed to his loins. Shocked that just one small insignificant touch was affecting him so much made him feel embarrassed and angry about his fading self-control. He felt greatly tempted to kiss Liliana, just because she looked so enticing with her slightly parted, ruby lips. He remembered the barn where she had lain close to him the last time. He wondered whether she did it on purpose. Why was she suddenly appealing to him?

Before arriving at Middleton Place, he had only considered her a small lost girl but since she had appeared at dinner yesterday wearing this lovely gown, he had noticed that she was more than that. She had been very shy but she had looked more mature. It was astonishing how clothes could make a difference.

But now she was looking fragile and innocent once again and he felt tempted to give in to be closer to her. He was doubting his self-control with every passing minute. However, he didn’t want to scare her if he bent down to her now and she woke up. He had to maintain his composure and tell her that she couldn’t sleep here again. He was quite interested in her reasons for coming here. Sighing, he stroked through his hair.

_It’s been really a long time since I’ve shared a bed with a woman. No wonder that I respond to her like that_ , he tried to reason.

Well, he had had women in his bed but they had been no women in his eyes. Only harlots and wenches who were desperate to share the bed with a Colonel like him. They had been just a diversion in wartime. It felt like ages to him that a girl like Liliana had slept in his bed.

He touched her shoulder, shaking her lightly. Liliana woke, mumbling incoherent words. Then she opened her eyes sleepily, blinked briefly and startled awake when she realised that she had moved much closer to the Colonel than she had wanted to.

            “Good morning,” he said smugly, curious for her explanation.

            “My apologies,” she whispered, bringing some distance between them.

            “Indeed. Why are you here?” he asked.

Liliana sat up, pulling the duvet up to her chin. She looked embarrassed at her hands.

            “I couldn’t sleep,” she confessed before meeting his eyes.

            “You can’t simply walk in here and sleep in my bed. I’m a respectable man of high rank and we’re not as close to each other for me to decide to welcome you here,” he said sternly.

Liliana understood what he wanted to tell her but the way he did hurt her. She frowned and swallowed the tears that threatened to show up in her eyes. Why was she suddenly on the verge of crying? She had known that he was going to chastise her.

 _Pull yourself together_ , she admonished herself and felt quite stupid for coming here.

Tavington watched her bleak reaction and extended his hand to show her that he wasn’t mad at her but only drawing the line. If she could only guess what he was thinking, she would have been frightened. She hadn’t noticed his eyes travelling over her slender shoulders, long hair and delicate fingers.

            “I better leave, then,” she said, shirking from his hand.

Before he could utter a word she had left the room, her hair flying and the door falling shut.

 

~*~

She didn’t show up for breakfast as she had been expected to. General Cornwallis was worried about her and even before he could ask a servant to look for her, Tavington had left after eating to find her. He wondered if she knew that it was very impolite to stand up a man like the General.

Eventually, he found Liliana downstairs in the kitchen where the maids were. She was sitting at a table, staring into space, and eating rolls with jam. There was also a cup of milk. The maids were startled when they saw him striding into the kitchen. There was barely a Colonel coming downstairs after all, and rarely someone who was so striking. However, this man was always intimidating.

            “Liliana,” he addressed the girl and she looked up at him.

When he saw her face he wasn’t sure if she had been crying. Had he been too hard on her? No. She had to understand that it wasn’t going the way she wished. And if she didn’t know the line, then he had to draw it.

            “Why are you having breakfast down here?” he asked, halting in from of her. “General Cornwallis had been waiting for you.”

            “I’m sorry. I thought you’re still angry with me, so I decided to go to the kitchen,” she replied, lifting the cup of milk to her lips.

Tavington pursed his lips and gave the maids, who had paused and tried to eavesdrop, a sharp look, causing them to scatter.

            “I’m not angry,” he said calmly. “But you have to understand that it can’t be.”

            “Yes,” she said tonelessly. “I’m sorry.”

Somehow he didn’t like her answer. It had been said so plaintively. Liliana hadn’t even looked at him. Usually, he didn’t care what other people thought about him but he had opened up to her a little bit and he found himself wanting to know what was on her mind.

            “What’s the matter?” he asked harshly.

            “Nothing,” she replied.

            “It doesn’t sound like that,” he said irritated.

She looked sternly at him. Then she wiped the milk off her mouth and put down the cup.

            “Well, I got the message. I’ve just felt so lonely and I couldn’t sleep at all. You’re the only person here I know. So, of course, it’s comprehensible that I feel alone if I have to sleep in this strange room with all its unknown noises at night.”

Her voice had become quieter at the end of her words and she avoided his intense gaze. Tavington sighed inwardly. Something like that had never happened to him before. He felt somewhat helpless. How was he supposed to deal with this situation?

            “Come,” he said when he saw her finishing her breakfast.

She didn’t move.

            “Where?” she asked, looking up.

            “We have to bring back the horse,” he said contritely.

Liliana gave him a look of surprise. Then a small smile graced her lips.

            “Really? You’re really going to return it?” she asked impressed. “I thought you’d keep it.”

            “I’m an honest man,” Tavington said but didn’t sound like it.

            “Are you?” she challenged him.

He gave her a blank look. Liliana smiled apologetically at him because she felt she had crossed a line again. She followed him quickly, donning the light cloak she had found in her wardrobe. She was now wearing a simple blue dress with short sleeves. She hadn’t dared taking one of the beautiful ones because she feared she would make them dirty.

They went to the stable where Tavington ordered two grooms to saddle the black stallion and his own horse. Puzzled, Liliana looked from the Colonel to the grooms.

            “What now? May I sit behind you or am I supposed to ride on my own?” she asked, wide-eyed.

She would not last two seconds on the horse as clumsy as she was.

            “A lady should have tried it at least once,” Tavington said impassively. “We don’t have a sidesaddle though, but you’ll manage.”

            “Whatever saddle it is, I tried already. I can’t do it,” she said sternly, putting her arms akimbo.

            “This is not in my vocabulary.”

            “But in mine.”

The Colonel turned around and looked at her sternly. These crosstalks with her were quite refreshing because no woman had ever talked back to him but then again it was wearing out his patience, especially because the grooms were listening.

            “You have two options. Either you stay here or you ride that horse,” he said annoyed.

            “Great! Either I bore myself to death or I ride myself to death. Which malady is easier to bear?” the young woman groused and mounted the stallion with the help of a groom.

Tavington said nothing, but felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, and mounted his bay horse. Then he took the reins of the stallion and went outside. Frantically, Liliana kept a hold onto her saddle and tried to get used to the movements of her horse while it was led by Tavington. The morning air was still fresh when they set out but soon the hot sun was going to rise towards its zenith.

 

After a while of comfortable trotting, Liliana had got used to the movement. However, when the Colonel decided to ride faster, she tore the reins from his hand because she wanted to gain control over her horse. Tavington allowed it and rode next to her.

Soon she got the hang of using the reins. However, the constant movement up and down had her feeling sick and she continued sitting silent and pale on her horse while they neared the barn where they had taken the horse. When they approached, they saw some worried looking men, probably farmers, who were staring fearfully at the Colonel. They had noticed that Liliana was riding one of their horses but no one dared addressing the strangers. The young woman dismounted as soon as they halted. The men were looking at her in surprise and Tavington followed her every movement carefully with his eyes.

            “Good morning. We’re returning the horse we had to borrow yesterday. We’re sorry but we had to hurry… home,” she said, looking up at Tavington who was glowering at the men. “Now we have our own horses and that’s why we came back to return the stallion,” she finished, questioningly raising an eyebrow at Tavington.

The Colonel looked as if he would shoot the men if they dared complaining. But they were rather perplexed what was happening in front of them. There was a girl with a Colonel at her side, returning a horse. They had never seen anything like that. More the opposite, like British soldiers abducting women and stealing horses, claiming them as their own.

            “I’m sorry if we had you worried,” Liliana tried to lighten the mood.

One of the farmers – an elderly man – approached her, smiling. He was the first of his comrades to recover from their amazement.

            “We’ve been worried indeed. Thank you very much for returning our horse,” he said.

The other men still stared at the Colonel. They were probably wondering why a Green Dragoon was together with a girl like her, returning a horse that surely would have been never brought back if the Colonel had had his way. Liliana smiled back and took the reins of the stallion to hand it over to his master.

            “We baited him well,” she said.

            “Thank you, young lady. We need them for farming. One less would have imposed unnecessary expense on us to buy a new horse,” one of the other men said now.

Liliana nodded at him and was pleased that the delivery of the horse had run smoothly.

She had done what she had wanted to do and went back to Tavington who hadn’t budged nor dismounted. She was slightly scowling at him but then the penny dropped. He didn’t want to talk to the farmers – the enemy. Didn’t want to sink to their level. He had chosen a side whereas Liliana was neutral.

The young woman sighed softly. At least he hadn’t touched his pistol and saber. She had been quite alarmed about what she had been told by the maids. He was known as “the butcher”. It made her skin crawl. How many people had he already killed in cold blood? Who was she actually trying to get along with? She didn’t dare asking him to help her mount his horse. He didn’t look like he was going to comply.

            “Good day,” she said to the farmers and then turned around, glancing at the Colonel.

He turned his horse without a word, following her. Soon they were out of sight of the barn – the men had looked after them curiously, still wondering what they were seeing – and after a while Tavington addressed Liliana.

            “Do you want to walk all the way?”

            “Not really. I just didn’t want to ask you to help me mount your horse while we were still within sight and earshot of the farmers. You gave me the impression that you might murder me if I asked you in their presence,” she replied cooly.

            “I wouldn’t have done so but you’re right. It was a deliberate decision.”

            “Somehow I had the feeling that you shouldn’t lose your face, and what does it look like when a Dragoon has a girl sitting on his horse? You would be considered a kidnapper.”

She said it so casually that he wasn’t sure whether she meant it sarcastic or felt truly unhappy. He was indeed worried if she was unhappy! William Tavington wondered how low he had sunk already if he was worrying about other people’s feelings. There had been enough abductions of girls to take them to camp where they were at the mercy of the soldiers. This would have been nothing new for the farmers. However, he didn’t want Liliana to know about that and he didn’t want her to walk all the way to Middleton Place. It would take too long to go back and it was quite hot already. A beautiful summer day.

            “Come,” he said, stopping his horse and extending his hand to her.

Questioningly she looked at the black-gloved hand. Then her gaze fell on Tavington’s face. He was looking at her expectantly. She smiled gratefully at him and took his hand which pulled her up and in front of him. Surprised that she was not to sit behind him, she grasped the saddle and then suddenly felt a strong arm enfolding her waist. Goosebumps ran over her skin from head to toe and her heart started beating faster at the touch. The next moment, the horse started gallopping and Liliana felt the Colonel leaning forward against her back to adjust to the fast pace.

Liliana didn’t know why she was reacting the way she did to him. She guessed she was bright red in the face. It had been quite a while since a man had embraced her. She hadn’t expected Tavington to do so because until today he had always kept a polite distance to her, but now he was doing it of course to prevent her from falling down. He couldn’t know that a swarm of butterflies was fluttering in her stomach.


	5. Rapprochement

They had a break on their way back. The Colonel didn’t seem to be in a hurry to head back to Middleton Place. Liliana didn’t mind when they stopped at a brook in the middle of a grove. The sun was burning and the heat was much more bearable in the umbrage of the trees. The horse trotted to the stream and drank, and Liliana slipped out of her tight shoes to wade through the cold water. She hoped to cool down her flustered mind. The water felt refreshing.

Tavington sat down in the shade and rested. She didn’t know that his eyes were following her every movement when she waded through the brook happy as a lark, bent down to pick up a stone, and then looked up to the shady trees.

Liliana enjoyed the coolness on her cheeks and when she thought that her nerves had finally calmed down, she glanced at Tavington. He had risen and was splashing water on his face.

 _Doesn’t he feel hot in that tunic?_ , she thought. _Everybody would sweat wearing this on a hot day._

She had barely finished her thought when he took of his jacket, letting it fall into the grass and then filling his hands with water to drink. With a relaxed smile, she approached slowly and touched his shoulder. The Colonel paused when he saw her delicate ankles coming into his view. He flinched slightly when she touched him and looked up.

            “Don’t you think it’s quite a hot day today?” she asked jauntily.

            “I wonder when we started to be on such personal terms as we already are,” he said sternly, rising.

Water was dripping from his chin and glistening on his forehead.

           “I don’t know,” she whispered bashfully, lowering her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

She jerked when she felt his fingers grasp her chin, lifting it. Her heart was beating faster while she looked up at him, feeling herself drowning in the light blue eyes of the man. Her green ones widened. She couldn’t see him moving but his face was steadily coming closer.

She saw that strong hands lifted to cradle her head but she reacted by stepping back and escaping the warm breath that caressed her face when Tavington’s nose nearly touched hers. She was so bewildered by his closeness that she tumbled backwards. Unfortunately she slipped on a wet stone in the water, lost her balance and fell into the freezing cold brook.

Because she had been backing away from the Colonel, he had tried to grasp her hand to prevent her flight but he only grasped at nothing and then heard her startled cry and a splashing sound. Liliana had fallen into the knee-deep water that was now unpleasantly circling her heated body. She scowled at him.

            “That’s your fault,” she accused him with chattering teeth when she got up, her gown clinging to her body like a second skin. “Gosh, I feel so cold!”

At first Tavington had felt the urge to laugh because she looked so drenched but instead he offered her his hand to help her out of the water.

          “You should have been more careful,” he said in a tone of voice as if he hadn’t tried to kiss her seconds ago.

            “I’ll catch my death,” she grumbled. “I can’t go back like this.”

           “Take off your gown, I’ll get you a blanket,” he told her, walking back to his horse before she could object.

             “If I didn’t know we have a blanket, I’d think you’re a lecher,” Liliana mumbled to herself.

She disappeared behind a tree and took off everything. She felt quite exposed now but she didn’t want to be in her cold underwear when she was wrapped in the warm blanket. Liliana extended her hand and waited for Tavington to give her the blanket. To her relief he did so without walking around the tree.

            “Thank you,” she said, sounding placative.

Then she wrapped herself in the soft wool and picked up her wet clothes from the ground. When she walked around the tree she found the Colonel leaning aganst it. He looked at her blankly, noticing her bare shoulders. He relieved her of her clothes because she was desperately clutching at the blanket.

            “Please, let’s go back to Middleton Place. I don’t want to catch a cold,” she said quietly.

He just nodded and went to his horse. There he put her wet clothes into his saddlebag and helped Liliana to mount his mare. Graceful as only a skilled rider could be, he sat behind her and spurred his horse. Although Liliana was embarrassed of being so careless, she wondered why he had suddenly come so close. She sneaked a glance at him and eyed his face. When he noticed her looking at him, his eyes met hers, causing her to quickly turn her head away. From the corner of her eyes she saw him grinning. She wanted to dig him in his ribs but her arms were too busy holding onto the blanket.

 

They reached the plantation in no time and Tavington carried Liliana from the stables up to her room. She felt embarrassed that he did so but it was much faster to reach her quarters instead of her staggering up the stairs because she was still shivering. She felt so cold that she might have tripped over her feet. Her lips had already turned a blue shade.

In the house, they met the maids who were sent away to prepare a hot bath for her. As soon as they entered her room, Tavington put Liliana on the bed and was about to leave when a hand grasping his arm stopped him.

             “What was that in the forest?” she asked curtly.

The corners of his mouth lifted and a gleam appeared in his eyes.

            “You aren’t stupid, Liliana,” he said silkily.

She narrowed her eyes.

            “You wanted to kiss me! We don’t even know each other. You made this crystal clear to me this morning.”

            “Grow up, sweetheart,” he whispered into her ear, gently caressing her neck, leaving goosebumps.

            “I am not your sweetheart and I’m already grown up, got it? Don’t presume to have the right to kiss me without even knowing if I want it,” she ranted at him, pushing him off. “I’m not one of those girls you can seduce between breakfast and lunch. I’ve figured out your intentions.”

She felt tears welling up. It was so humiliating to feel as if she was just like any other girl he could do what he wanted. Just because he was good-looking didn’t mean that she was besotted with him and that she would allow everything. Not even a kiss he had failed to give.

            “Leave me alone!” she barked at him and the noise of the door told her that he had left.

 _How dare he try to steal a kiss from me? First, he insists on keeping a distance between us and then he suddenly invades my privacy. How many girls has he seduced? I would only_ _be_ _one among many others._ _One he discards._ _He really makes that impression… but he really_ is _handsome. Oh my God…_

She sank to the ground and leant her head against the mattress.

_If you really do like me, if I’m somehow dear to you, William Tavington, then you should do something to make me like you too, but if you only intend on playing with me, then you’ll regret it._

She put her arms on the mattress and rested her head in her hands.

_Well, who is he after all? Just someone from the past. Only a man I got used to because he was the first I met. He is the only one I trust. Maybe I’m too attached to him, but maybe I’m just a burden to him and that’s why he’s having his fun with me. I think I’m only a weird girl to him that keeps talking about being from another time._

She was startled when she heard someone knock at the door. It was the maids who brought hot water, filling the bathtub. Soon Liliana was sitting in the water, still shivering. She knew the cold came from within. She was thinking too much about how she had ranted at Tavington and that he might not talk to her again.

She got new clothes and appeared at dinner to join Lord Cornwallis but she made only little conversation with the General and kept casting surreptious glances at Tavinton.

When she went to bed that night she thought of home where she would be doing homework now or meeting friends, and where she would not think about if she had hurt the feelings of a certain Colonel.

 

The fever came in the small hours.

The maids were the first to find Liliana sweating and freezing in her bed when they came to dress her for breakfast. The second person to be informed about it was Lord Cornwallis who had waited to see the pretty young lady at the table to ask her if she was alright because she had been so silent at dinner the previous evening. He called for his own docter who arrived soon but was vehemently refused by Liliana.

            “I don’t want any doctor from your time. Leave me alone!” she rejected him. “I want to sleep.”

She crawled under the covers and withdrew her limbs from everybody who tried to get her out. Tavington stormed into the commotion that was going on.

            “What’s going on here?” he wanted to know when he found the three maids, the doctor and Lord Cornwallis in Liliana’s bedroom.

            “She’s having a fever, Sir,” Eleonor answered. “That’s why we called the doctor.”

            “And why has no one informed me?” he asked, his eyes flashing.

            “My apologies, Sir. You were still asleep,” the blonde said.

            “Whatever is concerning her, I want to know about it,” he shouted at Eleonor and felt a soothing hand come to rest on his shoulder.

It belonged to Cornwallis.

            “Your concern is appreciated, Tavington, but the girls just thought that a doctor might help her faster than you,” he said gently.

Contritely, the Colonel looked at the General and then lowered his gaze to look at Liliana’s bed. At the moment the doctor was trying to talk to her through the duvet but there was no response. Without further ado, he approached the bed and yanked the covers at her head away to look at the feverish face of the startled young woman.

            “You really should let them help you if you have a fever. Stop being such a sissy,” he said emotionlessly.

            “How dare you?” Liliana gasped. “I don’t trust your medicine. I’m afraid of syringes and bloodletting. I just want to sleep.”

Her last words were only a gasp. All the effort to resist the doctor had been too much and now she was lying tired in bed, her eyes half open and damp hair sticking to her forehead. Finally, the doctor prescribed that she had to stay in bed, drink much water every day and have someone do leg compresses for her. Because Liliana was at the initial phase of her illness she needed warmth above all for she was complaining about chills.

She was left alone and someone checked on her every thirty minutes. Heather and Rosalie took turns and Tavington came for a visit once. Liliana didn’t notice, though. She was sound asleep. Thoughtfully, he looked at her pale form, raised his fingers to her forehead, where some strands of her dark hair stuck to her skin, and pushed them away. However, he left when Heather entered the room. She had lowered her gaze immediately when she saw him standing at the bed but she hadn’t missed any of his movements. He rushed past her without a word, closing the door behind him.

          “Well, he pretends to be indifferent about you but he seems to care,” she mumbled at Liliana’s bed.

She took her temperature and wrote it down on a sheet of paper. Every hour the fever went up slightly and Liliana’s sleep became more fitful. She rejected the food and only drank a lot before falling asleep again. She didn’t even touch dinner and the maids started to worry. The doctor came for another visit and said that she had caught a bad cold which she had received from her fall into the brook. It explained her bad cough which got worse in the evening and made falling asleep more difficult.

 _It’s always me_ , Liliana thought sorrowfully when she had been left alone after ten o’clock because everyone went to bed. _Now I’ve caught a cold. Why do I have to get a fever?_ _I have such bad luck. A cough and the sniffles would’ve been_ _enough._

 

It became quiet in the manor and Liliana gave her best to minimise her coughing because she didn’t want to wake anybody. In the middle of the night after two hours of sleep, she managed to drag herself into the bathroom, trying to get rid of the nausea in her mouth with cold water. She was overcome by dizziness, however, causing her to sink gasping to the ground when another wave of nausea hit her.

 _What’s that supposed to be now? I don’t want to feel nauseous at all. I’m not even able to throw up properly._ _There’s absolutely nothing inside._

She didn’t hear the door open. She only realised that she wasn’t alone anymore when someone knelt next to her. With feverish eyes she looked at Tavington’s face. He really looked worried.

           “Why are you sitting here on the cold floor? You should be in bed,” he said softly, taking her on his arms without further ado.

She fought his grip weakly. After all she was only wearing a nightgown but when she saw him – only clad in a white shirt and trousers – he looked so normal that she stopped struggling and rested her head weakly against his shoulder.

            “I felt sick,” she whispered. “And my head aches so much,” she mumbled. “I’d like to take an aspirin.”

            “Whatever that is we don’t have it here unfortunately. I think it still has to be invented,” he said and she smiled faintly.

            “Yes, unfortunately.”

He put her carefully on the bed, tucking her in. Then he went to the washroom and came back with a cold, damp flannel.

            “Put it on your forehead,” he said.

            “Thanks.”

She took the flannel from him and did as he asked. She heard a washbowl being set on her bedside table and then she saw Tavington pausing next to the window before she fell asleep. She didn’t sleep long but when she stirred she felt warm gentle hands which put a fresh cold flannel on her head. Seconds later she was asleep again. The pain had been dulled to some extent.

 

Low voices woke her later. She opened her eyelids drowsily, blinking several times. She noticed that the curtains of her windows were only showing a crack of sunlight which was not enough to brighten the dark room. Two people were standing beside the door but Liliana was too tired to keep her eyes open. Instead she listened to the voices.

            “…and Heather has already done three leg compresses.”

            “Yes, the fever’s just not going down. Heather will bring tea with willow bark extract. I think it’ll help.”

            “But she needs to eat too, if she likes it or not. Otherwise Colonel Tavington will snap. I’ve never seen him so restless before.”

 _Is that Eleonor speaking?_ , Liliana wondered.

            “He’s changed so much since she’s here.”

_That must be Rosalie. That means it’s only them._

            “I think he likes her very much,” Eleonor said quietly. “Heather told me he spent half of the night here before she came to take over. She hadn’t even expected him to be here.”

            “That’s very strange. He’s usually so self-centred. Besides, she looks like any other girl,” Rosalie whispered.

            “There must be something about her that we don’t know. I think she’s quite nice. I feel sorry that she’s so ill now.”

            “If he’s so worried about her, do you think she would care for him the same? I haven’t seen yet that she might be attached to him.”

            “Maybe she’s hiding it. You know, Colonel Tavington can be so –”

Eleonor was interrupted when the door opened. Liliana would have liked them to continue talking. Heather entered with breakfast on a tray and put it next to the bed.

            “Now we shall try breakfast. She has to eat sometime,” she said quietly. “By the way, Colonel Tavington is creeping along the corridors. I hope you kept your voices low.”

Liliana would have liked to see the embarrassed faces of the two other maids, however she was slightly embarrassed herself.

Why did the Colonel not go to bed after watching her sleep?

She felt Heather’s hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her.

            “Miss Liliana, please wake up and try to eat some breakfast.”

Tired she opened her eyes and looked at Heather.

            “Good morning”, she heard Eleonor who opened the curtains. “It’s such a beautiful weather today and you’re lying ill in bed.”

Smiling faintly and squinting at the light, Liliana looked at her. She let Heather help her into a sitting position and glanced sceptically at the food that she put on her lap.

            “I made you a tea with willow bark extract. It’s antipyretic and will alleviate your headache.”

            “Thank you,” Liliana whispered.

            “Please try to eat a little bit. Everyone’s worried about your condition,” Heather said.

 _Maybe it includes the Colonel_ , Liliana thought.

            “Okay,” she said, taking a buttered roll in her hand.

She actually managed to eat something and finish the tea but afterwards she pushed the food away and Rosalie had to hurry to take it away because Liliana went pale again and looked as if she was going to throw up if she had to see more food. She staggered out of bed and went to the toilet with the help of Heather. While they were walking along the corridor, they met General O’Hara who gave her a slight disdainful look when they went past him. Maybe he felt disgusted that Tavington had brought the girl to the house and had now even caught a bad cold and required the help of Lord Cornwallis’ personal doctor who was usually only called for issues concerning the General. He didn’t like this favouritism at all.

After Liliana had been taken back to bed, being told to rest until midday, the Lord was having visitors. They were expected because a party was planned the following days and many ladies and gentlemen from the United Kingdom of Great Britain were expected to attend. Among them was a very beautiful, blonde woman with curls and piercing blue eyes. She ignored everybody while the guests went to see Cornwallis. She eyed her surroundings observantly, hoping to find the one she wanted to see.

 

Meanwhile Tavington had gone back to Liliana’s room. He had sat down on a chair beside her bed, watching her sleep. But eventually he dozed off because he hadn’t slept much during the night. Half an hour later Liliana woke up briefly, feeling thirsty. She opened her eyes to grasp the glass of water on her bedside table and was surprised to find Tavington sitting quite obvious next to her.

 _He’s sleeping? So he_ is _very tired._ _Why’s he here? The maids are looking after me. Is he really that worried?_ , she thought, taking a sip of water.

Instead of turning over and sleeping on, she extended her hand towards him and touched his cheek. He didn’t wake up. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest when her fingers travelled to his ear and stroked into his loose brown hair. He usually seemed to wear his hair stiffly tied back in a plait but like this his face looked much softer. She got goosebumps when he made a soft sound in his sleep. She withdrew her hand quickly and hid her face under the duvet. Tavington opened his eyes seconds later and looked at Liliana. She pretended to have slid under the covers while sleeping. Cool air brushed her neck when he lifted the covers and tried to put her back on her pillow. With her heart pounding fast, Liliana opened her eyes, staring at him in shock. His hands which had gripped her upper arms seemed to have left stigmas. They both stared at each other, drowning in the eyes of the other. For a moment time stood still. He stroked her cheek softly, giving her a smile she had never seen on his face before. Liliana nearly forgot to breathe.

     “You shouldn’t disappear underneath the duvet. We don’t want you to suffocate,” he said in an insistent, warm voice.

She nodded slowly and then withdrew from his touch against her cheek. Her skin tingled and she knew that she would feel his warmth for quite a while now. Voices in the corridor caused them to jump apart, otherwise they would have gazed at each other for a bit longer. There was a knock at her door and Liliana pulled the covers up to her chin while Tavington went to open the door. Her heart fluttered like a little bird in its cage when she looked after this handsome man with his loose hair, black trousers and white half-open shirt. It had been a while since she felt something like that and it felt refreshening.

 _No, no, no, it can’t be. Why do I think he’s handsome? I don’t want him to hurt me. I don’t want to fall in love again_ , she thought vehemently.

Heather was the one who entered. She looked gently at Liliana and curtsied in front of the Colonel. They talked in hushed tones so she couldn’t understand anything, and it was hard to read the man’s face because he was a master of controlling his emotions. Finally he nodded and left the room without glancing back. In that moment when he left, Liliana’s heart hurt very much and she knew that she had really fallen in love with him.

She was devastated. She had fallen in love with someone who was living in the past.


	6. The strange  lady

Four days passed and Liliana’s conditon got visibly better. Eventually, there was only a light cough left. As soon as she was well again, Lord Cornwallis asked again for her attendance. He had shown much sympathy while she was ill, and every day he had asked when she would be better. The morning of the fifth day she left the bed for the first time to dress again in formal clothes. It was a crimson dress which was a contrast to her black hair and green eyes. Rosalie took great care to plait her hair.

       “Today you’re going to get to know Lady Isabella for the first time. She’s a very beautiful woman,” she said, while Liliana was sitting in front of her mirror.

        “Who is she?” she asked.

        “She’s from York in England and she’s the daughter of the mayor. There’s that rumour that her father wants her to become engaged to Colonel Tavington.”

        “Really,” Liliana mumbled. “Do they like each other?”

        “I think Lady Isabella is in love with the Colonel. She has left the embattled north as soon as she heard the news that he has survived. I can’t tell if he likes her. He’s always polite to fine ladies.”

 

Liliana went to breakfast with a blank face. How was she supposed to face that lady when she knew that she was going to be the colonel’s wife?

_Well, what will it do me any good being together with him? He’s from here, from this time and I’m from a different one. We’re not meant to be together, so it’s alright. I’m so bloody stupid to have fallen in love with him._

Though she was thinking that, she didn’t feel like it was alright. She entered the dining room where she met some ladies and gentlemen she hadn’t seen before. They turned around when she came in.

 _You won’t like me anyway, so let’s stop curtsying_ , Liliana thought and sat down on her usual place.

Some women whispered to each other. The men were smiling in her direction. Feeling goose bumps rise on her neck, she waited for Lord Cornwallis and Tavington’s arrival. Both entered minutes later, whereas the latter was leading a pretty lady into the room. Accourding to Rosalie’s descriptions and how she was smiling at the Colonel, this had to be Lady Isabella. She had blonde curls, blue eyes and was slightly smaller than Tavington, making her still taller than the average British woman of her time. The Colonel was wearing his usual cool mask, led the woman at his arm to a seat at the table, bowed slightly before the others and then looked at Liliana. His face didn’t change. Liliana watched him all the time while they were having breakfast. Of course, she was talking to Lord Cornwallis but she couldn’t concentrate on their conversation. Her heart was fluttering like a small bird which wanted to escape its cage. As soon as breakfast had come to an end, Liliana was the first to leave the room in a hurry. She couldn’t bear it any longer watching Isabella touch Tavington’s arm all the time, smiling at him and receiving a smile in return.

Blinded by pain she ran outside into the splendid garden and hid behind a huge oak. There she took deep breaths of the fresh clear air and tried to calm her raging thoughts and heart.

 _I’m so stupid! I can’t stay here any longer._ _I should’ve left when he said he has to go back to Middleton Place. Now I can’t think straight anymore, just because he’s around. How many years is he older than me? I’m just a child to him._

Distraught she leant against the tree, trying to calm down her breathing.

_If he knew how I feel, he’d only play with me… and I don’t want that. He should become happy with Isabella. I need to find a way home._

       “It’s better to go back to that mirror and try to go back home,” she said to herself.

         “Do you really want to do that?” she heard a voice behind her.

Startled she turned around and nearly tripped over a root. The Colonel was standing only a few feet behind her and she hadn’t even heard him coming.

    “Why do you want to leave so suddenly?” he asked, slowly approaching her.

        “I-I…” she stammered, wondering bewildered how he had known where to find her. “Because I do not belong here and my fate lies not in your time,” she replied, frowning.

Why was he here anyway? Did he follow her?

        “And what if your fate brought you exactly here?” he said. “What if it’s your fate that we met?”

        “I don’t know,” she said, averting her gaze. “What is so good about that?”

She didn’t back away when he stopped in front of her, though his presence made her heart beat faster.

      “What’s wrong? Do you still not feel well enough? You look so crestfallen. What’s the reason?” he said and was so close that she could feel his breath against her hair.

         “Am I a burden?” she asked quietly. “To you?”

        “Because you got ill, for example, or because we had to return that horse? – No, you’re not.”

He lifted his hand to her face and cupped her cheek. Liliana backed away immediately.

         “No, don’t touch me.”

He lowered his hand, looking at her sternly. He felt slightly frustrated that she was reacting this way. Every other woman would have thrown herself at him by now. He could see insecurity and suspicion in her eyes.

        “Are you still angry about what happened in the forest?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

       “Maybe. I just can’t figure you out. Why are you so nice to me? It’s not that I don’t value it but people told me very bad things about you and this worries me really. Can I trust you at all?”

        “So that’s what you’re thinking about,” he said, resting a hand on his hip. “You shouldn’t trust me, that’s my advice.”

Liliana looked at him surprised but then her gaze became thoughtful and she averted her eyes.

_Yes, that’s what my head tells me all the time._

        “If I can’t trust you, then I should leave. Until now you were the only person here I could trust to some extent because I don’t know this place.”

It hurt very much so say that but she wanted to protect herself from disappointment and before he could hurt her, she wanted to take the opportunity and leave.

She turned around and started to walk towards the house. Tavington looked after her discontentedly. He knew that everything would go back to normal if she left. Normal and… boring. He had liked the diversion with her and he realised that he just couldn’t let her go like that. He strode after her and grabbed her wrist.

         “Don’t go,” he said insistently.

She turned around and was pulled towards him. Her face was flush against his tunic and for a moment they remained like that.

         “Why?” she said, raising her head.

It made her heart beat even faster to look at him from this position. His face was so close to her that she felt his breath against her forehead and his hand strong but not painful around her upper arm. Moreover, she perceived his smell which she couldn’t define but which was very pleasant.

Tavington gave her a piercing look. He was struggling for words. It had never been his strong point to express feelings. He was glad that no one else was here to listen.

        “I would miss you,” he said and smiled when he saw Liliana blush.

        “Really? I thought I shouldn’t trust you,” she mumbled. “What am I supposed to believe?”

        “I’m a gentleman, right? Whatever they told you about me belongs inevitably to me but I won’t hurt you. You can take my word for it.”

Bashfully she withdrew from his grasp until they were at arm's-length. For a moment they looked silently at each other. Liliana was unsure how to behave and Tavington felt himself all the more in a strange situation. Usually it was easier for him to handle a woman.

He courted them, seduced them at a secret place, used them for fun for a couple of weeks and then fobbed them off with empty promises – mostly he had to travel to a town where he was in charge of his cavalry – and he never saw them again. He didn’t care what these women felt when he dumped them – a broken heart, anger, grief, dejection or indignation. He had never shed a tear over a woman nor did he miss any of them.

But it was different with Liliana. He just couldn’t let her go. No woman had ever left _him_. He had been the one to do so.

Liliana didn’t know this place and in the past days he unexpectedly had become used to her presence and her character, which was quite refreshening. He had felt very worried about her when she was ill. He couldn’t tell exactly why he felt so drawn to her. Was it her different behaviour compared to the women here? Or maybe her appearance? She was no real beauty who had men lying at her feet, but her green eyes could take on an expression which gave him goosebumps. In that moment when she looked up at him, her gaze travelled gently over him and he realised in surprise that he wasn’t the only one feeling that way. He gave her one of his rare smiles and she returned it tentatively.

His thumb lightly caressed her lower lip as if he was asking for permission. Bashfully Liliana raised her chin. Her heart was now beating in her throat. His blue eyes inched closer and when he kissed her tenderly, she dared to cup his face with both of her hands. He shivered beneath her touch. Her trembling fingers felt like ice, although her lips were burning like fire. This combination made him part his lips, encouraging her to explore him. Tentatively, she overcame her shyness and her tongue dipped into his mouth, daringly touching his own. He smelled her delicious breath and he encircled her possessively in his arms. Never before had a woman kissed him so confidently. Where had she learnt it? Was she still as innocent as she looked?, he wondered.

She looked so young. In England, even women over twenty were still as inexperienced as little girls. In so far they were not whores and knew their trade.

His hands roamed over her back and pulled her flush against his burning body. The fire in his veins spread everywhere. However, Liliana suddenly pushed against his chest. Reluctantly he let go of her and broke the kiss. He looked at her questioningly.

       “Stop!” she panted. “We can’t. What if anybody sees us? I heard the maids talking about you soon becoming engaged to Lady Isabella. Is that true?” she said bewildered as if she just realised what she had done.

      “Yes, it is but if I could choose it wouldn’t happen. This engagement would surely give me a certain rank but…” he said and didn’t finish the sentence.

She gave him a questioning look.

        “She’s not important,” he continued. “But you are. I want you to stay.”

He traced her cheekbones gently, causing her to lower her gaze shyly. Then her fingers tensed up and she withdrew again. She hadn’t expected him to say such words. He was actually talking as if he was really interested in her, but she was still suspicious.

         “I don’t know if it’s a good thing to stay. For days the maids have been talking behind my back, saying I don’t match with you. Of course, I don’t mind their gossip but… what am I to you?”

She took a step backwards.

        “I’m suspicious of men as soon as they get closer to me. I’ve been hurt quite often.”

Tavington lifted his eyebrows.

 _So she has been with other men already?_ , he wondered.

         “Liliana,” he said softly, closing the distance between them.

She raised her gaze when he said her name.

        “Since you’re here, I don’t want to be without you anymore. I’m not good with words but… please believe me.”

She eyed him suspiciously and was at odds with her feelings. What should she do? She wanted to be loved and yearned for affection and someone who would stand by her. But was she really doing the right thing here? She was from the future and he was from the past. There was no real hope for them. She pinched her eyes closed and balled her hands.

_I don't care anymore. I can have this, even if it's only for a short period of time._

She opened her eyes again and found Tavington looking hopefully at her, his eyes pleading with her silently. She sighed and approached him. All this time she had tried to hold back to be close to him, to trust him too much, to touch him, but the kiss had broken the ice and she leant against him wearily.

        “I don’t want to be without you either,” she whispered. “Please… please don’t hurt me.”

She felt him put his arms around her, blowing a kiss on her hair. Even he couldn’t believe that he had become so sentimental. Luckily, they were both alone. He rested his chin gently on her head.

         “How old are you by the way?” he heard Liliana say.

She gave him a curious look and her green eyes twinkled impishly which tempted him.

         “Twenty-six,” he said, smiling.

         “Well, then there’s only an age gap of six years.”

         “I must confess I thought you’re sixteen.”

She chuckled softly and snuggled into his tunic which smelled so strongly of his unique scent. It made her nearly go weak in the knees. She could have stayed like that forever in his arms, but reality hovered dangerously at the edge of their happiness.

         “Don’t you think they already miss you?”

         “Yes, and you, too. Lord Cornwallis has become a worried hen when it concerns you,” he joked.

At that Liliana laughed heartily, a grin spreading on her face.

         “That’s true,” she said, looking up at him with mirth in her eyes.

Tavington pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her as if she was under a magnifying glass. She could feel his eyes roaming over her hair, eyes, nose, mouth and chin, making her shiver involuntarily. When he bent down, her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted in anticipation. She felt his lips graze along her eyebrows and cheeks before he cupped her head tenderly and kissed her again.

At first the kiss was gentle but then it grew passionate until Liliana felt herself shoved against a tree. Because the bark bit into her back, she pushed the Colonel onto the mossy ground, bending over him. It hadn’t happened to him before that a woman was towering above him, looking quite smugly down on him. However, he allowed Liliana to do so and his hands travelled over her shoulders and down to her stomach. When he skimmed over her bosom, she leant her forehead against his own and closed her eyes. Fascinated he watched her and enjoyed her warm breath on his lips. Strands of her dark hair tickled his face. Again he stole a kiss from her and explored her body through her dress. She was so different. At least she reacted differently than the women he had already touched. He just couldn’t point which was different.

     “Now I have goosebumps all over and it’s your fault,” she whispered out of breath when he broke the kiss.

        “My pleasure, milady,” he murmured, drowning in her eyes when she opened them. “I want you,” he whispered demandingly when her gaze tried to penetrate his soul.

Liliana blushed scarlet when she heard his words. To look at him so close-up while he spoke was even more thrilling. His light blue eyes seemed to have turned darker.

         “Pardon? Not here,” she whispered embarrassed.

He didn’t seem to mind. He pulled her atop and kissed her even more passionate than before. Sighing, she enjoyed his warmth and felt his erection grow in his trousers. She wanted to stop him, tell him that this wasn’t the right place to lose control but her willpower had left her. His hands caressed her back, went into her hair and neck until they lifted the hem of her dress a little. She shivered when his hands touched her bare knees. He felt her trembling and looked up at her questioningly.

     “How much experience do you have?” he asked, which he had never done before.

He had always taken what he wanted.

    “I’ve none,” she whispered.

    “Have you ever become involved with a man?”

    “Yes, but it was never anything serious. I didn’t let them get too close to me because I didn’t want to. They all betrayed me.”

He gently pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear when he saw her depressed look. It touched a soft spot in his heart he had already thought to be forgotten. Suddenly Liliana appeared much more fragile to him than before. She rested her head on his broad chest and caressed his cheek with her fingertips. He had rather said something, for example, that he promised never to betray her or that he loved her like crazy, however he had never been good with affectionate words and it would have sounded strange. Maybe she would be afraid if he told her about his obsessive love for her. He didn’t want to scare her. It worried him enough already. So he returned her delicate touches by stroking into her dark soft hair. It was so pleasantly quiet around them, surrounded by trees, bushes and flowers. The only noises came from the buzzings insects and those of the birds above them. He thought he could lie like this forever and enjoy her presence. He wanted to forget about the war and his duties. He just wanted to be a simple, happy man with his pretty woman in a peaceful place where he could grow old without worrying if he died the next day, killed by a straying bullet or a sharp saber.

A faraway voice made them jump and pulled them back to reality. Startled, Liliana raised her head and slid off his body far too quickly for his liking.

       “It’s Lady Isabella,” she whispered when she reconised the woman.

Tavington sat up slowly, his lips a thin line now and feeling his erection fading quickly at the prospect of this woman in close proximity. He rose, brushed off the leaves from his uniform and offered Liliana his hand. As soon as she had got up, he pulled her behind a tree. Isabella hadn’t seen them yet.

      “This will be our secret,” he said insistently. “Please wait a moment. I’ll go back with her.”

Bewildered, she looked at him and pulled a leaf out of his hair. She stroked over his ruffled strands affectionately and clung to him. He blew a kiss on her forehead and then let go of her.

         “William!” they heard Isabella call.

Liliana twisted her mouth in annoyance.

_Why is this woman so obtrusive? She could have waited for him inside._

Standing hidden behind the tree, she watched Tavington approaching Isabella, bowing curtly, saying something to her and then leading her back to the house.

 _Did that really just happen?_ , she thought. _Did he really kiss me?_

She touched her lips with her fingers and closed her eyes. The feeling of his hands was still burning on her legs, her cheeks, her arms. Slowly she opened her eyes again and realised that she was alone. For a moment she stared at the spot where William and Isabella had been disappeared. It already felt surreal to her that he had been here with her. She wondered if they could be alone again another time. The feeling of his strong arms had felt so good. Like any other girl she wished to be protected and cherished.

After a while she went back to the house as well, using the servants’ stairs to run upstairs to her room and slamming the door shut before throwing herself onto her bed.

_It’s so surreal. I’m sure I will wake up in a moment and realise that I’m in my room at home, that everything’s never happened… that I haven’t fallen head over heels in love… with a man from the past _…__


	7. A small incident

She jerked when someone knocked on her door. Immediately she jumped off the bed and opened. However, it wasn’t the Colonel, who paid her a visit, but Eleonor. Surprised, they both looked at each other. Disappointed that it was someone else, Liliana stepped back to her bed. Bewildered at her behaviour the blonde girl entered.

     “Miss Liliana, I was sent to tell you that General Lord Cornwallis is going to ride out with some of the others. Of course, you’re invited to join.”

Liliana, who had her head buried in her pillows, sighed silently. She looked up slowly.

     “Who’s accompanying him?” she asked suspiciously.

     “The ladies and gentlemen, who arrived a couple of days earlier, and some officers for escort,” she said.

Hoping that Tavington was maybe among them, Liliana sat up.

     “Alright.”

     “Which garment would you like to wear?”

     “Trousers. I never learnt how to ride a horse with a skirt,” she replied.

_Finally I can manage not to fall from one._

Eleonor smiled and nodded before leaving. After a while she returned with a white shirt and black breeches. Liliana put on both and donned a light cloak as well. Eleonor handed her a black riding helmet, which Liliana used to hide her hair; only some strands peaked out.

     “Excuse me, but you really look like a boy now,” Eleonor said, smiling bashfully.

     “Doesn’t matter,” Liliana said. “At least I won’t attract attention.”

This was what she thought. After leaving the stable with a stallion and arriving at the meeting point, where everybody was waiting, all eyes turned to her. She had guessed right. Tavington was among them, as well as Lady Isabella and General O’Hara, whom she would have rather avoided.

_Well, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea._

At the same moment, when she arrived, Lord Cornwallis joined the group that consisted of fifteen people and looked surprised at Liliana. First he hadn’t recognised her but then his face lit up and he approached her.

     “It’s wonderful that you join us, my dear. We’ll have a picnic… You’ll definitely like it after all these days lying in bed,” he said affectionately.

Liliana smiled politely.

_It was only five days._

She felt Lady Isabella’s gaze on her but when she looked at her, she turned her eyes to Tavington, engaging him in conversation.

_Good. I will bear it._ _There’s nothing I can do and I knew it beforehand._

Everybody mounted their horse and followed Lord Cornwallis who rode ahead with some officers. They left the estate at an easy trot.

 

They went through the adjoining grove and then past several fields. The six women, who were with them, had all a cavalier at their side. Liliana was the only one to be on her own. She was riding at the back, trying all the time to avoid looking at Tavington and Lady Isabella, who were deep in conversation. She seemed to be the one who was leading their chat, as he only nodded now and then.

 _You don’t like her either. Why don’t you tell her politely?_ , Liliana thought.

She sighed softly and looked up at the clear sky. It really was a beautiful summer day. There was a light breeze that smelled of flowers, trees and clear water. She didn’t notice someone approaching her.

     “How are you, Lady Liliana?” a warm, pleasant voice said, dragging her out of her thoughts.

Startled, she looked to her right at the handsome officer who was now at her side. She had seen him before but had forgotten his name.

     “I’m fine, thanks,” she said. “But please don’t call me 'lady'. It’s too formal. Liliana is fine.”

     “As you wish,” he replied, smiling.

     “Pardon, what’s your name?” she asked, looking shy.

     “Bordon. Captain Alan Bordon,” he replied. „If you like you can call me Alan.“

     “Is that alright? I mean, you’re a Captain.”

     “It’s alright. You don’t address Colonel Tavington with his rank either, do you?”

     “Er...” she said confused. “Actually I do.”

 _I never used anything else than “Colonel”_ , she thought miserably. _I need to change that now that we’ve already kissed._

Alan Bordon was surprised. He had thought that Tavington had already allowed her to use his first name as he knew her a bit longer than the others and he acted kind of protective when it came to her.

     “He’d been very worried about you when you were ill,” Alan said thoughtfully.

      “Mhm,” she mumbled.

     “I’ve never seen him like that and I’ve known him for a couple of years.”

     “Really?”

Now Liliana started to listen attentively. Could it be that the Captain was a good friend of the Colonel?

     “You seem to know him quite well.”

     “I’m his second-in-command in the Dragoon Guards. Moreover, we’ve attended the same military academy,” he said.

     “I see. So you’re kind of friends?” she asked curious.

     “Something like that. He doesn’t tell me everything. It’s difficult to figure out his character. To the outside he’s often insensitive.“

He looked at her as if he hoped that she would disagree.

     “At the beginning I had the same impression,” she said. “But we’re getting along. I don’t think he hates me.”

     “I don’t think that either,” Alan said and Liliana didn’t know if he was referring to himself or her.

She would have rather asked him about Lady Isabella, but she didn’t want to purport that she was interested in the Colonel.

 _“This will be our secret”_ he said, she thought, sighing softly.

Alan Bordon gave her a questioning look. She quickly gave him a soothing smile.

     “Do you know where we’re heading, Alan?” she asked.

     “To a huge meadow. It is known for its brooks and willows.”

     “Oh! This sounds wonderful.”

_Sounds like a place where I’d like to be alone with William._

She smiled to herself when she thought of his first name.

They went on in silence. Liliana was lost in thoughts and Alan glanced at her now and then. He didn’t miss the pained expression on her face when she averted her gaze. He had noticed that she was casting surrepticious glances in Tavington’s direction and he could only guess that she was maybe jealous of the attention the Colonel paid the pretty blonde woman.

 

They reached the lush, green and hilly meadow at midday. Blankets were spread in the shadow of a huge willow, whose branches gently touched the surface of a brook, and the picnic baskets were opened. Laughing and giggling, the ladies sat down on the ground, unpacking tableware and wine bottles while they flirted with the officers.

 _It seems to me, this will be a feast. What have I got myself into?_ , Liliana thought when she sat down next to Bordon, taking off her helmet.

Strangely she felt very comfortable sitting beside him. Maybe it was good that way. She was sure he could distract her a bit. Of course, Lady Isabella sat down next to Tavington and continued their conversation. Liliana wanted to go over and give her a piece of her mind, however the urge vanished when Bordon turned to her, offering her some fruits. He had even got her a cup of water.

     “Thank you,” she said surprised, accepting both.

     “Be careful with the water. It’s from the ice-cold brook and you have just recovered from your illness,” he said in a kind voice, taking a sandwich from one of the baskets.

She returned his smile, glad that someone paid her a little bit of attention. Maybe Tavington had asked Alan to look after her while he was busy with Isabella. Liliana liked that thought and she tried to enjoy the get-together. It was difficult for her to follow the conversation of the others as the officers were talking about the military, the ladies about the latest dresses and corsets, and the couples were exchanging coquettish gestures.

At some point she had enough. She had eaten, was sated and nearly content if there hadn’t been Isabella’s constant giggling. Liliana got up and walked over to the brook, in search of something that could distract her. Soon she found some frogs which were relaxing at the shore and jumping into the water when she passed them. A quite wicked idea came to her mind when she saw them and she couldn’t suppress the childish nature she had never really abandoned.

She was being watched by Alan from afar. Tavington had seen her leave and glanced at her surrepticiously, wondering what she was doing. She was kneeling on the ground and did something with her hands in the grass.

After a while she came back. She was met by curious glances when she knelt down next to Bordon, opening her clasped hands just a bit.

     “Water frogs,” she whispered but her voice had been loud enough to scare the women. “When I was a child, I used to fish them out of my grandfather’s pond.”

Bordon was quite astonished to meet a woman, who wasn’t afraid of touching a frog, and grinned.

     “Here are the best living conditions for them,” he said.

     “That’s true,” Liliana said. “I found loads of them over there.”

She gestured with her hand to the direction, where she had come from, but in that moment when she lifted her hand, both frogs she had captured escaped and hopped away. One of them landed in Isabella’s lap while the other escaped into the grass.

     “Aaah!” the blonde exclaimed, leaping up and slapping the frog away which had slightly dirtied her pink dress. “How disgusting! Why did this brat bring a frog with her? Look at my beautiful dress!”

     “Don’t kill it!” Liliana shouted when the men tried to catch the little culprit with their boots.

Grinning, Alan Bordon had got up and averted his face in delight. Tavington had risen as well to make room for Liliana, so she could catch the frog. Isabella seemed to boil with indignation and her girlfriends’ clamour sparked her anger even more.

     “Phew! Got you,” Liliana said softly when she caught the frog finally. “I beg your pardon,” she said to Isabella. “I didn’t do it on purpose. The frog just escaped.”

     “You must be joking,” Isabella hissed, surprising her with a resounding slap in the face.

Not anticipating that she would raise her hand, Liliana’s head spun with the blow and she squinted her eyes when the pain brought tears. Tavingtons’ face hardened visibly.

     “That was uncalled for,” he said sternly. “She begged your pardon.”

With tears in her eyes Liliana looked at the ground, then turned around, dropped the frog on the grass and made a run. Nobody needed to see her anger, her shame and the tears on her face. She wanted to scream at Isabella but she didn’t want to place herself on the same level with this woman. She was no scratching-cat.

     “Liliana!” Bordon shouted after her who had turned at the sound of the slap.

Now he gave Isabella a reproachful look. But she only looked at her hand and seemed to feign remorse quickly when she turned to Tavington.

     “You’re right. I acted too rashly. Forgive me,“ she said.

     “You shouldn’t apologise to me but to her,“ he replied coolly. “It’s alright, I’ll look after her,” he said to Alan, who had made a move to follow Liliana, and went into the direction where the young woman had disappeared.

     “Why’s he going after her? She’ll come back eventually”, Isabella whispered to her friends.

Bordon, who was quite angry with her behaviour, approached her because he had heard her words.

     “He’s in her debt, that’s why. She was the one to save him from certain death,” he said, even if he knew that it wasn’t the real reason why Tavington went after the girl.

     “Really?”, Isabella said surprised. “How odd. A little girl saved him. But he doesn’t need to be her chaperone now.”

Her surprised look turned quickly to sarcasm but before Lord Cornwallis noticed it, she put on an innocent face again and sat down on the blanket. The General had been surprised about the lady’s behaviour, which was usually impeccable. Of course, it had all been just a joke played by Liliana and maybe it was justifiable that the ladies had been scared, but to raise a hand against the girl after she had uttered an apology, crossed the line.

 

Angry, Liliana had walked down the hill until she couldn’t see the picnic place anymore. She was now at the downslope of the meadow and slumped onto the grass sullenly. Her tears had dried already, and lying on her back, she looked up at the clear blue sky. Sighing, she put an arm over her eyes, breathing the fresh air.

_Such a stupid cow. Getting het up about a frog. As if it’d bite. She didn’t have to slap me._

She sat up when she heard approaching footsteps. Who could have followed her? Bordon?

     “Liliana?”

Hastily she turned around and met Tavington’s eyes. She should have expected him, but she hadn’t because she had thought he would continue playing his role at the picnic. Embarrassed, she lowered her gaze and averted her face.

     “I’m sorry,” she whispered when he paused beside her.

Slowly he sat down, bending to her.

     “No, I’m the one who should apologise,” he said, touching her hair.

     “Why?”

     “Because I allowed you to be slapped.”

     “This happened too fast. You couldn’t have done anything,” she said.

He touched her hand softly who was lying next to his. Liliana blinked at him and he slowly intertwined their fingers. They stayed like that for a moment. The chirping birds were flying above them and the wind caressed the grass of the meadow softly. After a while Tavington stretched out next to her, pulling her with him, embracing her. Slightly hesitant, Liliana leant against him. It was so nice that he was here now, making her realise that he had come for her. Pleased she closed her eyes, listening to his breath.

     “I could imagine us now being at my place. There are such nice meadows as well. I’d like to show you. The mountains, too. Those beautiful, high mountains,“ she said. “Would you like to see them?”

     “If that was possible,” he replied.

He heard her sigh.

     “I miss you every second,” she whispered and her hand caressed his cheek gently.

     “What are you doing to me?” he said quietly against her ear.

She raised her head, looking at him questioningly. Then she sat up and glanced over the meadow.  A smile graced her lips. She heard Tavington rise and turned around to look at him. His face wore a thoughtful expression when she knelt next to him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

     “I don’t know. I could ask you the same,” she said.

He smiled at her slyly and touched her face with his hand, tracing the outlines of her cheekbones. She watched with interest how he explored her with fascination. Smiling blissfully, she closed her eyes and leant against the hand that was caressing her.

     “Am I really a brat?” she asked anxiously. “I mean, I caught a frog. I’m no child anymore but don’t you think it’s alright that I stored a bit of childishness in my heart and haven’t forgotten about it? Everyone grows up anyway.”

     “I thought your prank was amusing,” he said amused. “Stay the way you are.”

Blushing, she opened her eyes and smiled broadly.

     “I’m just afraid that I’m too childish for you,” she whispered, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

     “You aren’t. You’re just more easy-going than all of us will ever be.”

     “Maybe it’s because I’m from a peaceful time and not a prisoner of etiquette and behaviour,” she said.

     “Yes, maybe.”

His tone sounded nearly wistful. It was as if she could hear his wish to live unburdened and in peace. She felt his hand in the back of her neck and then a soft warm touch that gave her goosebumps. She guessed it must be his lips and his tongue that were caressing her throat. She took in a ragged breath.

     “William,” she sighed, digging her fingers into his shoulders.

He paused. For the first time she had used his first name and he liked it.

     “Yes?” he asked softly.

     “What are you doing? That’s a ticklish spot.”

     “I hoped so,” he whispered hotly against her ear. “I want to find all sensitive spots on your body.”

Her heart was beating faster in her chest when she looked into his ice blue eyes and he caught her lips in a hungry kiss which took her breath away. Sighing, she reciprocated the kiss, feeling his hands wander over her back. His warmth left a burning sensation through her shirt on her skin. She tried to keep her fingers from tugging at his hair as she didn’t want to ruffle up his queue. He surely didn’t want to go back to the others, looking dishevelled, and explain himself. She was quite considerate.

     “You shouldn’t stay away for so long, otherwise the others will wonder what you’re doing,” she said a bit sad. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

     “I must admit that I’d usually care about such things but not now,” he said against her lips. “Come here.”

He kissed her again very hungrily, playing with her tongue, leaving hot kisses on her throat and impatiently pulling out the hem of her shirt that was tucked into her trousers. Liliana shivered when she felt his fingers travelling up her lower back, causing her goosebumps. She took a deep breath and embraced him to enjoy his caressing. She buried her face against his neck. At that Liliana looked over his shoulder, smelled his fragrance and finally noticed that someone was walking across the hill, approaching them.

     “Someone’s coming!” she hissed, withdrawing from William’s hands. “I think it’s Bordon.”

She made herself small behind his physique and brought a proper distance between them. There was disappointment written across his face which he masked quickly before turning around. Their intimate togetherness had been disturbed too early. What did Bordon want?

      “Gosh, he must’ve seen us,” Liliana said panicky, straightening her braid.                     

      “That would be no problem,” William said, watching her amused. “He’s trustworthy.”

Hastily she put her shirt back into place and then sat down on the grass.

      “He’s really nice,” she said. “He told me that he’s in your regiment and that you both attended the same military academy.”

      “That’s right.”

Bordon was now within hearing distance and what he had seen, had been exactly what Liliana had actually tried to hide. He approached them with a reproachful smile.

      “And I already wondered why it takes so long,” he said, grinning meaningfully.

William seemed to be relaxed as Liliana noticed, so she loosened up as well. There was truly an aquaintance between both men which helped her to calm down.

      “Don’t exaggerate,” the Colonel said.

      “The ladies are already inventing stories what might have happened to you both. Especially Isabella,” Bordon said.

Hastily Liliana averted her face because she guessed what this woman was probably thinking. William looked at her reproachfully.

      “I can read on your face what’s going through your head,” he said.

      “Pardon?” she exclaimed shocked, covering her red cheeks with her hands, making both men laugh.

Bewildered she looked at them and then smiled. She still wondered how much Bordon had seen. Embarrassed, she turned her face and from the corner of her eyes she saw William rising. He offered her his hand.

      “Come. We need to go back eventually,” he said.

Liliana looked up at him slightly disappointed and their eyes met. Silently, they were telling each other that they would have liked a longer moment together. She took his hand, coming to her feet. On their way back, Liliana walked behind both men who were like a human shield when they approached the others. Lord Cornwallis waved at them, a smile on his face. Liliana returned the gesture only half-heartedly, ignoring the ladies. Liliana was watching her like a sharp-sighted hawk. This time William sat down next to Liliana, pretending to be in a conversation with Bordon because he joined them. Unintentionally, she had made friends with the friendly Captain. She felt much more at ease with both men at her side and relaxed visibly. Only the glances of the ladies and O’Hara were constantly palpable.


	8. Hostilities

Late in the afternoon, they went back after Lady Isabella had apologised to Liliana under Tavington’s stern gaze. However, he stayed at the lady’s side until they had reached the house and had brought the horses back into the stable. Liliana waited in the stable for a while until everyone had left, hoping that Tavington would return to her, but then had to go back to her room alone. The sun was low already and was about to set in three hours. They had been gone for quite a while. Sighing, she sat down on her window sill, hopefully waiting for Tavington’s arrival. It wasn’t long and there was a knock. Delighted, she jumped up and opened but as soon as the door was ajar someone barged in, grabbed her by the arms and pushed her against the wall. Liliana didn’t know what hit her. She had hoped that it was the Colonel but General O’Hara had come in, terrified meeting his eyes. He wore a grim expression on his usual haughty face, banging the door shut with his foot.

            “If you scream, you’ll regret it,” he threatened her.

            “What’s the matter? You’re hurting me!” Liliana complained, grabbing his hands which were holding her upper arms.

However, he quickly caught her wrists, pushing them over her head against the wall. Fear instantly gripped the young woman. Why was the General so rough on her? What had she done to deserve his anger?

            “If I see you ever again between Tavington and Lady Isabella, I’ll make sure that your little secret will be disclosed and that would be quite an embarrassment for Tavington because Isabella is a fine lady of high position. You’re nothing. Just a little lass who has saved his life and now thinks she could interfere with us.”

Distraught, Liliana looked at him and her emotions on her face told him that he was right with his assumption. So he had been right that there was more between her and the Colonel.

            “Did you think no one would notice?” he asked spitefully. “Well, you don’t look bad,” he said, twirling a strand of her black hair between his fingers. “You’re certainly a nice snack.”

He bent down so she could feel his breath against her neck. Disgusted, she turned her head to avoid his face.

            “It’s too bad that the Colonel has found you first,” he murmured. “But you have your qualities.”

This was enough! Liliana lost it and kicked him between the legs and he let go of her in pain. Adrenaline pumped hot through her veins.

            “How dare you treat me like a stupid girl?” she screamed at him, towering over him because he had gone to the floor. “You can’t intimidate me. You wish! Do you think you could talk to me like that? I’m one of Lord Cornwallis’ honourable guests.”

He looked up at her furiously, scrambling to his feet, his face twisted in pain. He quickly regained his composure, glaring at Liliana. But instead of grabbing her again, he moved slowly towards the door.

            “Stay away from him if you know what’s good for you. He’s only playing with you. You’re just one of all the other girls he’s had in his life. You mean nothing to him,” he sneered at her and then shut the door behind him.

He left Liliana in shock. Her strength left her and she slid to the floor, trembling. O’Hara’s demeanour had scared her so much that she crawled to her bed and collapsed on the sheets, sobbing. Had he been right about Tavington? After all, he knew him much longer than her.

 _I really should go home_ , she thought. _I’m interfering in issues I shouldn’t. Shall I believe what the General said? Is Tavington using me, only to satisfy his passion?_

She didn’t dare going to dinner, because everyone would stare at her, and sneaked into the kitchen where only the girls were, who always looked after her.

            “What’s wrong?” Eleanor asked when Liliana appeared in the kitchen, her eyes puffy.

            “Nothing,” the girl mumbled, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Heather had the presence of mind to give her a bowl with lentil soup which was for the servants today.

            “I suppose you’re hungry,” she smiled at her.

Liliana accepted the soup gratefully. Eleonor sat next to her and even Heather joined her.

            “Where’s Rosalie?” Liliana asked before eating a spoonful.

            “She’s at the banquet,” Heather replied. “She’s helping at serving.”

            “You’ve been at the outing today. What do you think about Lady Isabella?” Eleonor asked, ignorant of what had happened.

Liliana looked at the young woman, her lips a thin line. Seeing her embittered expression, the girl’s eyes widened. She didn’t dare ask further. Heather leant back, her hands folded over her stomach, looking serious.

            “I must admit she’s a bit flamboyant. She’s quite smug about her parents wanting her to become engaged with Colonel Tavington. I should add that her brother, General O’Hara, is competing with Tavington,” she suddenly told them and Liliana looked at her surprised.

She wouldn’t have thought Heather to give away private details. But it explained now why O’Hara had reacted so violently. He was Isabella’s brother!

            “He doesn’t like Tavington but he knows that the engagement would be good because the Colonel comes from a respectable family, even if he is penniless,” she continued. “And General Cornwallis tries to be the peacemaker. Especially, because you’re here now and Tavington is in your debt for you saved him. I’m sorry if my question sounds impolite but which relation do you have with the Colonel?”

Liliana frowned and stirred her soup. How much could she tell? She would probably ruin everything for the Colonel if she said the truth. After all, it was supposed to be their secret.

            “It’s not an important relation,” she lied finally, knowing exactly that the girls wouldn’t believe her.

Luckily they didn’t ask further questions. She finished her soup, thanked them again for allowing her to be in the kitchen, and then went upstairs to her room. She entered the dark room and jerked when she heard a noise that was followed by the illumination of her bedside lamp. Had O’Hara returned, she thought petrified. But it was William who appeared in the glow of her oil lamp and she looked at him relieved but anxious. Just now she had hoped not to meet him. How was she supposed to behave now that she knew everything and after O’Hara had intimidated her?

She paused at the closed door, still looking at him silently. He was standing next to her bed, wearing his uniform, and was as handsome as ever. She felt so insignificant, when she looked at him, and she had to avert her eyes when his light-blue ones eyed her intensely. She only looked up when she heard him come closer. Like a frightened animal she backed into a corner of the room. Bewildered, William paused in his steps.

            “What’s wrong, Liliana?” he asked. “I’m sorry if I startled you. You haven’t been at dinner, so –“

            “We shouldn’t be seeing each other anymore,” she interrupted him. “I need to go back home,” she whispered, jerking when she felt his warm fingers touch her chin.

He lifted it gently and she looked at him distressed.

            “How come the change of heart?” he asked in a soft voice.

            “It is as I told you before. I’m just interfering in issues that don’t concern me. I’m just causing you trouble,” she said. “I don’t belong here.”

            “Says who?”

Liliana gulped and squeezed her eyes shut. She shook her head vehemently.

            “Who said so?” he demanded, sounding angry.

            “O’Hara,” she whispered.

            “So he knows,” he said in a hard undertone. “Did he hurt you?”

She felt him stiffen. He grasped her upper arms and she jerked. She hadn’t noticed how strong the Major had grabbed her that it was hurting now. William grew angrier with every second.

            “Did he hurt you?”

            “Yes! Ouch!” she exclaimed.

Frowning, William let go of her immediately, his eyes wandering worriedly over her fragile form.

            “When did he come to you? Where did he hurt you?”

            “He came before dinner and he hurt my arms,” she whispered, rubbing them.

The Colonel pressed his lips together. For a moment he didn’t say anything but then he carefully pulled Liliana against him, softly stroking her back and her aching arms.

            “What did he say?” he asked sternly.

            “I should stay away from you because I’m an insignificant lass,” she said depressed.

His embrace tightened but he was careful not to hurt her.

            “You aren’t insignificant. I would’ve died without you,” he said softly.

            “But that doesn’t mean that you’re in my debt. You don’t have to be so nice to me,” she mumbled.

            “Stop it. This has nothing to do with debt,” William assured her, holding her at armlength to look at her.

She smiled sadly at him, hanging her head.

            “I don’t want to be without you but I don’t know if it’s right,” she said quietly.

William said nothing and it confirmed her assumption that he thought the same.

            “I don’t want you to go either,” he said then.

A sound like a hiccup escaped her throat and he pulled her against him. Liliana flung her arms around him, swallowing the tears that had risen in her eyes and which threatened to choke her.

            “I’ll take care of you, and if O’Hara hurts you again, I’ll teach him a lesson,” he said.

Worried, she looked up at him.

            “I really don’t want to cause any trouble,” she said.

            “You won’t. Cornwallis likes you, and the maids, too. If he finds out that O’Hara is turning against you, he’ll not be pleased about it,” William replied. “Don’t be afraid of him. He’s just someone who likes to put pressure on the weak.”

She exhaled deeply and then felt his lips against her ear. She shivered pleasantly.

            “Would you like me to spend the evening with you?”

She looked shyly at him, caressing his cheek. She could feel the stubble of his beard beneath her fingertips which would be again the reason for his morning shave. William bent down, kissing her eyebrow.

            “Yes,” she said. “But isn’t Isabella expecting you?”

His face became serious and he nodded. He raised her hand to his lips, touching them lightly.

            “I’ll be right back,” he said.

She looked at him eagerly and nodded. He left the room and Liliana took a deep breath. For a moment she stared at the closed door and then put her head in her hands. She wanted to believe that she really had found someone again who loved her, but it had been three years that she had allowed a man close to her. Of course, she yearned for affection and love but she was very much afraid of being hurt like it had happened before. All the stories about Tavington’s love affairs overshadowed her heart and the trust she wanted to build. Why was the whole thing so complicated? Why couldn’t fate decide to have him born in her time?

            “It really would be better if I just left, even if I hurt him and me. Am I really so desperate to be loved again that I decide to stay?”

She sighed heavily and turned towards the bed. She knew the answer.

            “How does the saying go? Nothing ventured, nothing gained? So I’ll try it with him and find out whether he’s honest with me. I have to be careful because it would be foolish to throw cautions to the wind.”

She closed the dark-blue window curtains and fluffed up her bed to make it look comfortable. Then she went into the bathroom. Soon after, there was a knock on her door. Liliana donned her dressing gown, knotting it.

            “Come in!” she called through the crack of her bathroom door, watching William enter.

He looked for her when he stepped into the room and spotted her smiling face behind the door crack. He couldn’t help but smile at her too. After a long time it was a natural one.

He turned the key behind him and then stepped further into the room. Liliana left the bathroom with a brush in her hand and stopped in front of her mirror, aware that William was watching her every movement.

She didn’t ask what he had told Isabella. She didn’t want to know. She feared it would dampen her spirits. He sat down on a chair that was standing at the window, resting his chin in his hand. Slowly the brush went through her jet-black hair that shimmered like dark graphite in the candlelight. Tavington’s eyes rested on the young woman in fascination.

            “Liliana,” he said and she paused in her movements, looking at him questioningly.

He had extended one hand towards her and she approached him slowly until she was standing in front of him. He caught a strand of her dark hair with his fingers, bringing it to his lips. Interested, Liliana watched him, surprised at his gentle gesture. His eyes met hers and he took the brush from her hand.

            “May I?” he asked and she nodded, slightly perplexed that he asked for it.

Never before had a man asked her such a thing. William sat up and she turned around. She felt his left hand come to a rest on her shoulder and the other started to brush her hair. It felt very different from when she did it. She would have never thought that combing caused such a feeling. She closed her eyes and enjoyed it. After a while his warm hands pushed her hair away from her neck and a tender kiss tickled her skin. Liliana shivered. A chuckle escaped her and strong arms encircled her waist.

            “I feel like I could be someone else with you,” she heard William’s voice at her ear when he rested his chin on her shoulder.

She turned her head, smiling at him. He pulled her even closer, looking very pleased.

            “I like this side of you,” she said quietly and he bent forward until their lips nearly touched.

He drowned in her green depths and she in his blue ones. She tilted her head slightly back, her nose nudged his own and then they kissed. It was no greedy clash but a tender touching, simply because for the sake of the kiss. Breathless, Liliana broke the kiss first, gasping for air. She had forgotten what an affectionate and tender kiss felt like. She must have been already dead inside and had been revived now. She turned in William’s embrace, so she was facing him, and took the brush which was lying in his lap. 

             “Will you tell me something about yourself?” she asked in a pleading voice. “I’d like to get to know you better.”

His mouth became a thin line when he looked at her, struggling with himself whether he should allow what he was starting with her or not. She got deeper and deeper under his skin with every breath and touch. He felt hope that she could relieve him from the pain that was resting deep in his heart. It was his fault alone that he was such a ruthless soldier. Liliana was the first who liked him for himself, and he was afraid that she could see his flaws. For quite a while, he had longed for someone who wouldn’t ask about his rank and class.

            “What do you want to know?” he asked eventually.

            “Where you come from and how your life has been until now,” she said. “Would you like us to sit on my bed? It’s more comfortable.”

Her voice sounded so happy and kind-hearted that he felt like the worst man on earth to socialise with this friendly girl when he had such a tainted character. He didn’t deserve that at all. But her smile and her warm hand, which took his own, were encouragement enough that it was alright for him to be here. All the reasons why he had refused her to stay in his room didn’t matter anymore. He wanted to be with her and find out if his feelings for her were different to the ones he had felt for all the other girls before her. She wouldn’t be someone he wanted to throw away.

Liliana put her brush on her bedside table and was the first to get into the bed. He rose and followed her. For a moment he remained in front of the bed, looking down at the girl who looked at him expectantly. She tilted her head a little while she waited and he watched some of her strands fall over her shoulder. He wondered why he noticed so many details about her. First the light on her hair, then her shivers when he kissed her neck, and now this little coquettish gesture to look at him.

He sat down next to her and took off his boots. It was followed by his tunic that revealed a white linen shirt he was wearing underneath. With deft fingers he undid the white scarf around his neck and then made himself comfortable beside Liliana, who handed him a pillow. She was already leaning against the bedrest with her pillow behind her back and was now resting her head against his shoulder. His gaze met her curious eyes.

            “Well,” he began, pausing. “I hope I won’t bore you with my story.”

            “Absolutely not,” she assured him.

            “Alright, I’ll start with some details. My full name is William John Tavington and I was born on 21 August 1754. I am the third of seven children, belonging to a wealthy merchant family in Liverpool. My father made a living with sugar and slave trade. He was highly respected and had served several terms as Lord Mayor. He died ten years ago.”

            “I’m sorry about that,” Liliana said sympathetically.

            “You don’t have to,” he said, astonished about her words. “He has squandered his fortune and my inheritance on gambling until his death.”

            “Oh,” she mumbled.

            “I went to school in London and I wanted to study towards a law degree but I decided to join the British Army in 1775 and became a cavalry officer in the first Dragoon Guards. Under the command of Lord Cornwallis I came to America and into the war. You know, I’m a very determined man and so I worked my way up through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel.”

However, he kept it to himself how he had achieved that. She didn’t need to know which fights he had fought and which massacres he had instigated. When he looked at her face, it was neutral. There was indeed the question on Liliana’s mind to ask him where he fought but she feared that the topic would be too dark to talk about, so she refrained from asking.

            “So, you were born in Liverpool. As far as I know it’s a big city with an important port,” she said.

            “It is already in my time. Please tell me something about you. You’ve always told me you came from a mirror but you never said what lies beyond it,” William said.

He looked amused at her as if he was making fun of her. She dug him in the ribs.

            “I was born on 12 December 1989. If we look closer at it, you aren’t six years older than me but… let me think about it… two hundred and thirty-four years. I didn’t know at all that I fancy such old men.”

They chuckled both and her eyes were dancing with mirth when she met his gaze.

            “Creepy,” he mumbled. “I’m not that grey-haired already, am I?

Giggling she leant more into him. She had not expected him to have humour.

            “No.”

For a moment they stayed like that in silence, listening to each other’s breathing, and then Liliana spoke again.

            “I was born in Dunedin. I’m still living at my parents’ and I’m attending the university in my town.”

            “You’re a student? That is impossible for women in my time,” he said astonished.

            “The most interesting thing is that my university was the first in the British Empire to permit women to all subjects. I’m studying medicine and the amount of female students at my university is quite high.”

William only shook his head. Women in the education system was unimaginable for him. Liliana looked up at him, grinning at his incredulous face.        

            “I’m living in the twentyfirst century. Much has changed. Women became emancipated, which means they fought for the same rights men have. For example, they’re imaginable in nearly every profession.”

            “Then it’s thanks to your medical knowledge that I survived,” he said, stroking her head.

            “Well… yes, I think so,” she said bashfully.

            “So it’s good that women are allowed at university.”

He blew a kiss on her hair.

            “I wish I could show you where I grew up. Dunedin is a very nice city,” she said softly, closing her eyes.

            “If I had no obligations, I’d like to see it but maybe it’s not so good if someone from the past comes to the future,” William said against her ear.

            “I could say the same about me,” she murmured and felt him pull her down onto the mattress.

He rested his head on his pillow, putting an arm around her when she snuggled against his chest. It was long ago that he had just embraced a woman without sleeping with her. It felt good to listen to Liliana’s breath, to smell the fragrance of her hair and to give her the feeling that he could protect her. He was so lost in thought that he noticed belatedly that adoring eyes were looking up at him. His heart swelled. He loved that look. He pushed some strands gently behind her ear.

            “I nearly forgot to tell you something about tomorrow evening,” he said.

            “Yes?” she asked and was suddenly afraid that he had to leave the plantation.

Her fingers clutched at his shirt but he put his hand reassuringly over hers.

            “Tomorrow will be a festival. The summer ball. You’ll be invited too, as well as several hundreds of guests.”

He rolled his eyes. Lord Cornwallis loved these festivals which were always excessive. Though they made a nice change in everyday life, Tavington didn’t like them much. Every time he was assailed with women who didn’t match his intellect at all.

            “The house will be full of people and I’m going to guarantee the safety with my regiment,” he continued, plucking her fingers from his shirt and taking her small hand in his.

            “I can’t dance at all,” Liliana said sourly. “Such a festival is nice for sure but I don’t belong to all of you.”

            “Lord Cornwallis would be very disappointed if you didn’t come. He really likes you. He didn’t like the incident with Lady Isabella. Therefore, he’d rather have a more polite lady at his side and that’s you. The maids will certainly find you something nice to wear.”

Liliana sighed and buried her face against his chest.

            “I’d rather be with you,” she muttered.

            “Pardon?” he asked because he hadn’t understood her words.

She turned her face towards him and he noticed her red cheeks. Amused he caressed them.

            “I’ll definitely ask you for a dance.”

            “If you can bear me stepping on your feet,” she taunted him.

He raised an eyebrow and the corners of his mouth twitched.

            “Don’t worry. I’ll lead you and then dancing will come naturally to you.”

He had said it so convincingly that she believed him. She closed her eyes because she was overpowered by fatigue and she heard William blowing out the candles. Then, strong arms embraced her and she fell asleep with his pleasant smell in her nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everybody who left kudos, comments or subscribed. :) I will need some help with the story from now on, so if someone wants to become a co-author or betareader, feel free to leave a comment.


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